THE OSTEOLOGY OF DIMORPHODON MACRONYX, A NON-PTERODACTYLOID PTEROSAUR FROM THE LOWER JURASSIC OF DORSET, ENGLAND

ABSTRACT Dimorphodon macronyx (Buckland, 1829) is one of the earliest known Jurassic pterosaurs and the first English pterosaur to have been formally described; the original specimens from the London Natural History Museum have not been fully reviewed since Richard Owen’s monograph of 1870. This monograph provides a detailed, comparative osteological description and emended diagnosis of D. macronyx, based primarily on the four key London and British Geological Survey specimens, and supplemented by the other known skeletal material. Previously undescribed palatal bones uncovered in one of the Natural History Museum specimens (NHMUK 41212) in 2002 are also described and a tentative reconstruction of the palate presented. A short review of previous phylogenetic studies on the taxonomic status of D. macronyx is provided.