Preliminary report on ichthyopterygian elements from the Early Triassic (Spathian) of Spitsbergen

Jaw elements of Omphalosaurus sp. are described from the Early Triassic (Spathian) of Marmierfiellet, Spitsbergen. The elements are from the Grippia and the Lower Saurian niveaus in the Vendomdalen Member of the Vikinghogda Formation. In the Grippia niveau a bonebed was excavated in 2014-15 and a large number of ichthyopterygian elements were recovered. Together with the omphalosaurian jaw elements a collection of large vertebral centra were recognized as different from the smaller Grippia centra and more than 200 large vertebral centra are referred to Ichthyopterygia indet. and tentatively assigned to regions of the vertebral column. We refrain from further assignment due to the systematic position and the difficulty of defining criteria for recognizing postcranial elements of Omphalosaurus.