| Kepodactylus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Ctenochasmatidae |
| Genus: | †Kepodactylus Harris &Carpenter, 1996 |
| Species: | †K. insperatus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Kepodactylus insperatus Harris & Carpenter, 1996 | |
Kepodactylus is an extinctgenus ofctenochasmatidpterodactyloidpterosaur from theKimmeridgian-Tithonian-ageUpper JurassicMorrison Formation ofColorado, United States.
In 1992, a team from theDenver Museum of Natural History dug up a specimen of thedinosaurStegosaurus stenops inGarden Park,Colorado. In the quarry they also found smaller disarticulated bones from other animals, among which were those of a pterosaur new to science.
In 1996,Jerald Harris andKenneth Carpenter named the new genus. Thetype species isKepodactylus insperatus. The genus name is derived from Greek,kepos, "garden", a reference to Garden Park anddaktylos, "finger", referring to the typical wing finger of pterosaurs. Thespecific name means "unhoped-for" inLatin, alluding to the fact that the researchers hoped to find a dinosaur, and did not expect a pterosaur.
The genus is based on theholotypeDMNH 21684, consisting of acervicalvertebra,humerus, several finger bones, and ametatarsal.Kepodactylus was similar toMesadactylus but larger (wingspan around 2.5 m [8.2 ft]), and with additional pneumatic foramina (holes to allow air from air sacks to enter the bones) in the vertebrae and humerus. The describers concluded that the species was a member of thePterodactyloidea and within this group, using the phylogeny ofDavid Unwin, a member of aclade that is now known asLophocratia.[1] It was regarded as a potentially valid genus in the most recent review of Morrison pterosaurs.[2]
The cladogram below shows aphylogenetic analysis published by Longrich, Martill, and Andres in 2018. They recoveredKepodactylus as a basal member of the familyCtenochasmatidae.[3]
