Eotephradactylus
| Eotephradactylus | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction illustrating known material | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Ornithodira |
| Clade: | †Pterosauromorpha |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Genus: | †Eotephradactylus Kligman et al., 2025 |
| Species: | †E. mcintireae
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Eotephradactylus mcintireae Kligman et al., 2025
| |
Eotephradactylus (meaning "ash-winged dawn goddess") is an extinct genus of pterosaurs known from the Late Triassic of what is now Arizona, United States. The genus contains a single species, Eotephradactylus mcintireae, discovered in 2011 and named in 2025. It is known from part of the lower jaw, isolated teeth, and possibly a wing bone found in the Chinle Formation, which dates to the Norian age. These bones were found in a bone bed in addition to many other species, including various fish, mammal precursors, turtles, and other reptiles.
Eotephradactylus is an early-diverging pterosaur, possibly closely related to the European Seazzadactylus. Like some other early pterosaurs, it is characterized by its heterodont dentition. However, unique to Eotephradactylus, it has extensive wear on all of its teeth, showing that it probably ate hard-shelled invertebrates or fish with mineralized scales. Eotephradactylus is the oldest known pterosaur named from North America.