Melkamter

Melkamter Temporal range: Early Jurassic, Toarcian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Holotype specimen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
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 an extinct genus of monofenestratan pterosaurs from the Early Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, M. pateko, known from a partial skull and fragmentary postcranium. Melkamter represents the oldest known monofenestratan pterosaur in the fossil record. ^[1]

Discovery and naming

The Melkamter holotype specimen, MPEF-PV 11530, was discovered in sediments of the Cañadón Asfalto Formation (Queso Rallado locality) near the Cerro Cóndor village of Chubut Province, Argentina. The specimen consists of a partial cranium preserved on a slab and counterslab, two teeth, four dorsal vertebrae, a wing metacarpal, and other unidentified bone fragments. ^[1]

The fossil material was first reported at an academic conference in 2024 before its formal description. ^[2]

In 2024, Fernandes, Pol & Rauhut described Melkamter pateko as a new genus and species of early monofenestratan pterosaurs based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Melkamter ( [melkamter] ), is derived from Tehuelche words mel, meaning "wing" and kamter, meaning "big lizard", referencing the etymology of clade Pterosauria (meaning "winged lizard" in Greek). The specific name, pateko ( [pateko] ), combines the Tehuelche words pate, meaning "rasped" and ko, meaning "set of bones", referencing the type 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, following Herbstosaurus in 1975, Wenupteryx in 2013, the coeval Allkaruen in 2016, and Tacuadactylus in 2021. ^[1]

Description

The preserved skull of Melkamter is 131.3 millimetres (5.17 in) long. ^[1]

Speculative life restoration

References

1. Fernandes, Alexandra E.; Pol, Diego; Rauhut, Oliver W. M. (2024-12-11). "The oldest monofenestratan pterosaur from the Queso Rallado locality (Cañadón Asfalto Formation, Toarcian) of Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Royal Society Open Science . 11 (12). doi:10.1098/rsos.241238. ISSN   2054-5703. PMC   11631458 .
2. Fernandes, A. E.; Pol, D.; Rauhut, O.W.M. (2024). A monofenestratan pterosaur from the late Early Jurassic of the Chubut province of Patagonia, Argentina (PDF). 21st EAVP Conference.