| Epapatelo | |
|---|---|
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| Holotypehumerus | |
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| Holotypeulna | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Clade: | †Pteranodontoidea |
| Clade: | †Aponyctosauria |
| Genus: | †Epapatelo Fernandeset al.,2022 |
| Species: | †E. otyikokolo |
| Binomial name | |
| †Epapatelo otyikokolo Fernandeset al., 2022 | |
Epapatelo (meaning "wing") is a genus ofpteranodontianpterosaur from the lateCretaceousMocuio Formation ofNamibe Province,Angola. The genus contains a single species,E. otyikokolo, known from partial leftlimb bones.[1]
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Since 2005, theProjecto PaleoAngola carried out excavations atBentiaba. For the first time in history, remains of pterosaurs were found in Angola. The recovered fossils consist of fourteen specimens of at least eleven individuals. Two of these represent the new taxonEpapatelo.[1]
In 2022, thetype speciesEpapatelo otyikokolo was named anddescribed by Alexandra E. Fernandes, Octávio Mateus, Brian Andres, Michael J. Polcyn, Anne S. Schulp, António Olímpio, Gonçalves and Louis L. Jacobs. The scientific name is derived fromNhaneca, the language of the local nomadic population. Thegeneric name,Epapatelo, means "wing", and thespecific name,otyikokolo, means "lizard".[1]
Theholotype, MGUAN-PA650, was found in a sandstone layer of the Mocuio Formation, a marine deposit dating from the earlyMaastrichtian, between 71.64 and 71.4 million years old. It consists of a partial lefthumerus articulated with a leftulna. Theparatype, MGUAN-PA661, represents an articulated left ulna andradius. All of these bones are preserved three-dimensionally, without significant compression. They were recovered from a surface area of fifteen hectares. TheplesiosaurCardiocorax was also found in the Mocuio Formation.[1]
The wingspan of the holotype was estimated at 4.8 m (16 ft). The paratype would have been a larger individual, at 5.6 m (18 ft). Some of the material found at Bentiaba suggests an even larger size. The fourth metacarpal of the holotype was extrapolated at about 46 cm (18 in) in length. Elsewhere in Angola, a partial manual digit IV has been found that is at least 83 cm (33 in).[1]
In their phylogenetic analyses, Fernandeset al. (2022) recoveredEpapatelo as thesister taxon toSimurghia andAlcione. These taxa, along with theNyctosauridae, comprise the cladeAponyctosauria.[1]
| Pteranodontia |
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