Eotephradactylus

== Discovery and naming ==

== Discovery and naming ==

[[File:Painted Desert badlands Tawa Point.jpg|thumb|left|Chinle Formation outcrops in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona]]

[[File:Painted Desert badlands Tawa Point.jpg|thumb|left|Chinle Formation outcrops in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona]]

The ''Eotephradactylus'' fossil material was discovered in outcrops of the [[Chinle Formation]] (Owl Rock Member) within [[Petrified Forest National Park]] (PEFO) in northeastern Arizona, United States. The [[holotype]] specimen, PEFO 53384, comprises part of the left mandibular ramus (lower jaw) and an associated tooth. An additional tooth, PEFO 53536, and an isolated wind finger bone, PEFO 52926, were also referred to this taxon.<ref name="Eotephradactylus" />

The ''Eotephradactylus'' fossil material was discovered in outcrops of the [[Chinle Formation]] (Owl Rock Member) within [[Petrified Forest National Park]] (PEFO) in northeastern Arizona, United States. The [[holotype]] specimen, PEFO 53384, comprises part of the left mandibular ramus (lower jaw) and an associated tooth. An additional tooth, PEFO 53536, and an isolated wind finger bone, PEFO 52926, were also referred to this taxon.<ref name="Eotephradactylus" /> Prior to the formal naming of ''Eotephradactylus'', the fossil material was noted in a 2019 conference abstracts.<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Behrensmeyer |first1=Anna K. |last2=Whatley |first2=Robin L. |last3=Fitch |first3=Adam J. |last4=Parker |first4=W. |last5=McIntire |first5=S. |last6=Pritchard |first6=Adam C. |last7=Kligman |first7=Ben T. |last8=Cline |first8=Richard G. |year=2019 |title=Taphonomy and paleocommunity reconstruction of a pterosaur-bearing fossil assemblage in the Upper Triassic of Arizona |url=https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SVP-Program-book-v8_w-covers.pdf |conference=Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 79th Annual Meeting |page=60 }}</ref>

In 2025, Kligman and colleagues [[Species description|described]] ''Eotephradactylus mcintireae'' as a new genus and species of pterosaurs based on these fossil remains. The [[Genus|generic name]], ''Eotephradactylus'', combines the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''eos'', referring to the [[Eos|mythic goddess of the dawn]], ''tephra'' ("ash"), referring to the nearby volcanic ash layers, and ''daktylos'' ("digit"), in reference to the elongated wing-forming fourth finger in pterosaurs. The intended translation of this name is "ash-winged dawn goddess". The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''mcintireae'', honors Suzanne McIntire who discovered the fossil material while [[Fossil preparation|preparing]] a block from the PEFO quarry.<ref name="Eotephradactylus" />

In 2025, Kligman and colleagues [[Species description|described]] ''Eotephradactylus mcintireae'' as a new genus and species of pterosaurs based on these fossil remains. The [[Genus|generic name]], ''Eotephradactylus'', combines the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''eos'', referring to the [[Eos|mythic goddess of the dawn]], ''tephra'' ("ash"), referring to the nearby volcanic ash layers, and ''daktylos'' ("digit"), in reference to the elongated wing-forming fourth finger in pterosaurs. The intended translation of this name is "ash-winged dawn goddess". The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''mcintireae'', honors Suzanne McIntire who discovered the fossil material while [[Fossil preparation|preparing]] a block from the PEFO quarry.<ref name="Eotephradactylus" />