| Melkamter | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Clade: | †Pterodactylomorpha |
| Clade: | †Monofenestrata |
| Genus: | †Melkamter Fernandes, Pol & Rauhut,2024 |
| Species: | †M. pateko |
| Binomial name | |
| †Melkamter pateko Fernandes, Pol & Rauhut, 2024 | |
Melkamter (Tehuelche pronunciation:[melkamter]) (meaning "winged lizard") is anextinct genus ofmonofenestratan pterosaurs from theEarly JurassicCañadón Asfalto Formation of Argentina. The genus contains asingle species,M. pateko, known from a partial skull and fragmentary postcranium.Melkamter represents the oldest known monofenestratan pterosaur in the fossil record.[1]
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TheMelkamterholotype specimen,MPEF-PV 11530, was discovered in sediments of theCañadón Asfalto Formation (Queso Rallado locality) near the Cerro Cóndor village ofChubut Province, Argentina. The specimen consists of a partialcranium preserved on aslab and counterslab, two teeth, fourdorsal vertebrae, a wingmetacarpal, and other unidentified bone fragments.[1]
The fossil material was first reported at anacademic conference in 2024 before its formal description.[2]
In 2024, Fernandes, Pol & RauhutdescribedMelkamter pateko as a new genus and species of early monofenestratan pterosaurs based on these fossil remains. Thegeneric name,Melkamter ([melkamter]), is derived fromTehuelche wordsmel, meaning "wing" andkamter, meaning "big lizard", referencing the etymology of cladePterosauria (meaning "winged lizard" inGreek). Thespecific name,pateko ([pateko]), combines the Tehuelche wordspate, meaning "rasped" andko, meaning "set of bones", referencing thetype locality (Queso Rallado, meaning "grated cheese") and the broken preservation of the holotype.[1]
Melkamter is the fifth Jurassic pterosaur to be named from South America, followingHerbstosaurus in 1975,Wenupteryx in 2013, the coevalAllkaruen in 2016, andTacuadactylus in 2021.[1]
The preserved skull ofMelkamter is 131.3 millimetres (5.17 in) long.[1]
