| Barbaridactylus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Clade: | †Aponyctosauria |
| Family: | †Nyctosauridae |
| Genus: | †Barbaridactylus Longrich, Martill, & Andres, 2018 |
| Type species | |
| †Barbaridactylus grandis Longrich, Martill, & Andres, 2018 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Barbaridactylus is anyctosauridpterosaur from theOuled Abdoun Basin ofMorocco, a basin that dates back to theMaastrichtian stage of theLate Cretaceous. It was published in2018 by paleontologists Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, and Brian Andres. In the same publication, two other pterosaurs from the same basin were described:Alcione andSimurghia.[2] Thetype and only species isB. grandis.
All known specimens ofBarbaridactylus were uncovered in a 3-year dig that unearthed about 200 pterosaur specimens. Its type specimen is FSAC-OB 232, which consists of its right femur, left radius, ulna, humerus, and scapulocoracoid, and partial mandible. Four other specimens have been referred toBarbaridactylus, FSAC-OB 8, 9, 10, and 11. They are all humeri.[2]
According to Longrich, Martill and Andres,Barbaridactylus is named after theBarbary Coast of North Africa, and the Greekdactylo, meaning "finger".[2] However, the proper word for "finger" inAncient Greek isdaktylos (δάκτυλος).[3] Itsspecific name,grandis means "great" in Latin.[2]
Barbaridactylus was one of the larger nyctosaurids, with a humerus length of 22.5 cm (8.9 in), wingspan of approximately 4 m (13 ft) and a body mass of 4 kg (8.8 lb), making it one of the largest nyctosaurids.[2][4][a] Like other nyctosaurids,Barbaridactylus had upward-curving jaws. The only known cervical is also rather typical for nyctosaurids, as it is proportionately short and broad, a morphology also present in the relatedpteranodontids. The scapulocoracoid is fused, meaning that the animal was probably an adult. It is boomerang shaped, and the two bones (the scapula and coracoid) form a 60-degree angle. The humeral shaft is long and thin. The hatchet-shaped deltopectoral crest (a distinctive feature of nyctosaurids) is in a notably distal location in relation to the humeral head, more similar to that ofNyctosaurus thanAlcione. This crest is short and broad, and the expanded tip is weakly developed, which are basal features. The deltopectoral crest appears warped from an anterior view, more so than in other nyctosaurids, but much less than in pteranodontids. There is a pneumatic fossa located on the ventral surface of each humeral head that is unique to this species. The ulna is relatively gracile, unlike the robust ulna ofAlcione, and its ends are weakly expanded. The diameter radius is approximately two thirds that of the ulna. The femur ofBarbaridactylus is relatively typical for a nyctosaurid, although it lacks the strong distal expansion present in other nyctosaurids. Instead, it expands more gently, similar to that ofPteranodon.[2]
Below is acladogram showing the results of aphylogenetic analysis first presented by Andres and colleagues in 2014, and updated with additional data by Longrich and colleagues in 2018. In this analysis, they foundBarbaridactylus to be the sister taxon of theNyctosaurus speciesN. lamegoi, both placed within the familyNyctosauridae.[5][2]
As part of a 2022monograph onQuetzalcoatlus, Brian Andres suggested thatBarbaridactylus may represent an additional species ofNyctosaurus.[1]
| Pteranodontia |
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In a 2024 phylogenetic analysis,Barbaridactylus was recovered as the sister taxon ofMuzquiopteryx outside of the genusNyctosaurus, and "Nyctosaurus"lamegoi was included as a species ofSimurghia.[6]
Barbaridactylus was discovered in upper Maastrichtian phosphates located in the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Northern Morocco. This geological formation does not belong to a formation. It is divided into couches, withBarbaridactylus being discovered in Couche III. This layer dates back to the latest Maastrichtian, about 1 million years before theextinction event at the end of the Cretaceous. Couche III represents the most diverse marine ecosystem known from the time.[2]
A large variety of marine life is known from the region, including sharks and bony fish, in addition to turtles,plesiosaurs andmosasaurs. A few rare, fragmentary dinosaur fossils are known, including anabelisaur and asauropod. Other pterosaurs in the formation were originally only represented by theazhdarchidPhosphatodraco mauritanicus. However, in addition toBarbaridactylus, more recent studies have revealed at least five more pterosaur species from this location, includingAlcione,Simurghia andTethydraco.[2]
