| Carniadactylus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Family: | †Eudimorphodontidae |
| Subfamily: | †Eudimorphodontinae |
| Genus: | †Carniadactylus Dalla Vecchia, 2009 |
| Species: | †C. rosenfeldi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Carniadactylus rosenfeldi (Dalla Vecchia, 1995) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Carniadactylus is a genus ofpterosaur which existed inEurope during theLate Triassic period (Norian stage,[1] about 217-213 million years ago).[2] The genus contains a single species,Carniadactylus rosenfeldi.
Carniadactylus was similar in appearance and anatomy to its close relativeEudimorphodon, though it was significantly smaller. LikeEudimorphodon, it is notable for its complex multi-cusped teeth. Despite their similarities, the size difference between these two pterosaurs likely meant that they occupied different niches and relied on different food sources. This is supported by studies of their teeth. While similar in construction, the teeth ofCarniadactylus show little to no wear, unlike the larger, fish-eatingEudimorphodon, which may have been able to chew its food. The smallerCarniadactylus probably fed on smaller, soft-bodied prey like worms and insect larvae.[3]
In 1995 theItalianpaleontologistFabio Marco Dalla Vecchia named a new species of the genusEudimorphodon:E. rosenfeldi. Thespecific name honors the finderCorrado Rosenfeld.[4] Theholotype was MFSN 1797, a partial fossil skeleton with parts of the skull and lower jaws, but lacking the tail, found nearUdine.
It soon became clear however, that incladistic analysesE. rosenfeldi was not the sister taxon of thetype species ofEudimorphodon:E. ranzii. This made, dependent on the precise analysis, the genusparaphyletic orpolyphyletic.
To avoid this Dalla Vecchia in 2009 created the new genusCarniadactylus. The type species isCarniadactylus rosenfeldi. The genus name is derived fromCarnia, the name of the region the fossil was found, and Greekdaktylos, "finger", a reference to the wing finger typical of pterosaurs. A second specimen, MPUM 6009, is theparatype, consisting of an almost complete skeleton that however has been largely preserved as an impression only. It is a third shorter than the holotype, that itself indicated a wingspan of about seventy centimetres. The disparity was by Dalla Vecchia explained as intraspecific variability.[5] In 2015,Alexander Kellner named a separate genus for MPUM 6009:Bergamodactylus.[6] Dalla Vecchia however, retained MPUM 6009 within the taxonCarniadactylus rosenfeldi in 2018.[7]
According to earlier analyses byAlexander Kellner,Carniadactylus was thought to be related toPeteinosaurus within theDimorphodontidae.David Unwin later placed it into theCampylognathoididae. This was supported by an analysis by Dalla Vecchia that showedCarniadactylus as the sister taxon ofCaviramus. However, a more thorough phylogenetic analysis by Andres & Myers in 2013 supported the original interpretation ofCarniadactylus as the sister taxon to the type species ofEudimorphodon, and they reclassified it within that genus.[8] The following phylogenetic analysis follows the topology of Upchurchet al. (2015).[9]
In 2020 however, a study upheld by Matthew G. Baron about early pterosaur interrelationships foundCarniadactylus to group withCaviramus,Raeticodactylus, and theAustriadraconidae, which in turn were within a clade calledCaviramidae.[10]
