| Pairarau | |
|---|---|
| |
| Holotype ulna seen from three angles | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Lonchodectes |
| Genus: | †Parirau |
| Binomial name | |
| †Parirau ataroa Albuquerque, 2019 | |
Pairarau (meaning "ancient wing" in Maori) is a highly dubious, and possibly invalid, genus of pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. It was the first pterosaur discovered in New Zealand. The type species, Parirau ataroa, was tentatively described by Carlos Albuquerque in 2019.[1]
Parirau was related to Santanadactylus (Brazil).
Discovery and naming[]
The first mention of NZMS CD 467 was in 1988 by Joan Wiffen and Ralph Molnar.[2] The bone was discovered by Wiffen. The ulna was studied many times until it was described in 2019. Most paleontologists agree that the name Parirau is informal.
References[]
- ↑ A Late Cretaceous Lonchodectid? (2019) Albuquerque, C. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2019.12.17.879783
- ↑ Wiffen, J., Molnar, R. E., 1988 First pterosaur from New Zealand. Alcheringa 12, 53–59