Spathagnathus (meaning spatula jaw) is an extinct genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of Germany. The type and only species is Spathagnathus roeperi.
Discovery and Naming[]
In 1993, Simone Kaulfuß, Maren Sendelbach and Andreas Heiner, students at the Schule für Präparationstechnische Assistenten in Bochum discovered the jawbone in chalk quarry of Brunn. The snout fossil was collected by the Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie at Munich, Bavaria. After preparation, it was described by Oliver Rauhut and his colleagues in 2017. These authors concluded that it was a new species, and it would be named in later publication in 2025.
In 2025, the species was named and described by Alexandra E. Fernandes, Helmut Tischlinger, Monika Rothgaenger and Oliver Walter Mischa Rauhut. The generic name combines Latin words spatha and gnathos, both meaning "spatula" and "jaw", while the specific name is named after Martin Röper.
Description[]
The genus description was based on a holotype specimen of a snout, displaying its unique morphology. It is the second pterosaur to be discovered at Solnhofen's Brunn quarry after the rhamphorhynchid Bellubrunnus. The unique anatomy of the jaw indicates a diet of hard-shelled prey items, such as clams. The quarry, where the species was discovered, is being excavated under the leadership of Martin Röper and Monika Rothgaenger.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of Gnathosaurinae. Its sister taxon is Tacuadactylus.
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