Junior synonyms for Gnathosaurus: several mistakes noted

From the Bennett 2025 abstract
“here the skulls and dentitions of the largest juvenile P. micronyx are described and compared to the holotype mandible and referred skull of G. subulatus, and it is concluded that Pterodactylus micronyx and Aurorazhdarcho primordius are junior synonyms of Gnathosaurus subulatus, and that the species is known from 12 adult and juvenile specimens.”

Paleontologists are not allowed to ‘conclude’ ANY interrelationships. Instead they must recover interrelationships using phylogenetic analysis. Let the software do it for you. Bennett himself told me to learn phylogenetic analysis. So I did: One results was the large pterosaur tree (LPT, 263 taxa, Fig 1).

As a result of Bennett’s assertions = conclusions
he synonymizes taxa unrelated to each other (Fig 1) and unrelated to Gnathosaurus (Fig 2).

In paleontology they usually call this ‘a mistake’. This time it was published and might be cited. There is a reason for this publication that involves myth, tradition and resistance.

Unfortunately,
Bennett and his fellow pterosaur experts still follow the myth that pterosaurs are archosaurs. Under this hypothesis allometric young should have a large orbit and short rostrum, like baby birds and baby crocs.

Bennnett and his fellow academics choose to ignore
Zhejiangopterus and Pterodaustro, which are known from isometric ontogenic series. Their flaplings are isometrically identical to adults. We also have ornithocheirid and ctenochasmatid embryos the same proportion as adults. – and only one juvenile Rhamphorhynchus. recovered by phylogenetic analysis.

Liaodactylus
(Fig 2) was not mentioned in the Bennett abstract, probably because it was from China, not the Solnhofen Formation. It is smaller and closely related to Gnathosaurus in the LPT (Fig 1).

So is
the AMNH 5147 specimen (Figs 3, 4). Huge feet.

I do not know if this specimen was mentioned by Bennett 2025 because the text of the paper was hidden behind a paywall. It is not mentioned in the abstract. If not mentioned in the text this was another ‘mistake’ or at least a lost opportunity to synonymize a more closely related specimen.

Phylogenetic analysis
(Fig 1) indicates the small gnathosaurine pterosaurs (Fig 4)are small adults. If not juvneile taxa crowd the origins of clades and resemble larger outgroup taxa. This sort of phylogenetic miniaturization is how many pterosaur clades had their genesis. This is very clear in the LPT.

One of the reason paleontologists don’t test the LPT is they might validate it.

That cannot be allowed. But it almost happened once.

On a more positive note:
Nice to see a single author paper again! It’s been a long time.

Send the PDF if you get a copy.

References
Bennett SC 2025. A review of the pterosaur Gnathosaurus subulatus from the Tithonian Solnhofen Lithographic Limestones of Germany: taxonomy and ontogeny. DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/2025/1245

Bennett SC 2002. Soft tissue preservation of the cranial crest of the pterosaur Germanodactylus from Solnhofen. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 22(1): 43-48.
Mayr FX 1964. Die Naturwissenschaftlichen Sammlungen der Philosophisch-theologischen Hochschule, Eichstätt. In:Festschrift zur 400 Jahre Coll. Willibald. Eichstätt: 302–334.
Meyer von CEH 1834. Beiträge zur Petrefactenkunde. [Gnathosaurus subulatus, ein Saurus aus dem lithographischen Schiefer von Solnhofen.] – Museum Senckenbergianum1(3): 1–26 & pls 1–2. [pp. 1–7 & pl. 1]. omic and Systematic Implications. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 16(3):432-444.
Wellnhofer P 1970. Die Pterodactyloidea (Pterosauria) der Oberjura-Plattenkalke Süddeutschlands. Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, N.F., Munich 141: 1-133.
Zhou C-F, Gao K-Q, Yi H, Xue J, Li Q and Fox RC 201. Earliest filter-feeding pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and ecological evolution of Pterodactyloidea. R. Soc. open sci. 4: 160672. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160672

wiki/Gnathosaurus

Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/03/15/junior-synonyms-for-gnathosaurus-several-mistakes-noted/