| Venetoraptor Temporal range: Late Triassic | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reconstruction of Venetoraptor by Gabriel Ugueto | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Family: | †Lagerpetidae |
| Genus: | †Venetoraptor Müller et al., 2023 |
| Species: | †V. gassenae |
| Type species | |
| †Venetoraptor gassenae Müller et al., 2023 | |
Venetoraptor (“Veneto plunderer”) is a genus of lagerpetid from the Santa Maria Formation of the Late Triassic (Carnian) of Brazil. It is known from one species, V. gassenae, known from a partial skeleton.
Discovery and Naming[]
Venetoraptor, the new genus, and the type species V. gassenae were described in 2023 by Müller et al. The generic name is derived from “Veneto”, which refers to the municipality of Vale Vêneto, and the Latin word “raptor” (plunderer). The specific name, “gassenae”, honors Mrs Valserina Maria Bulegon Gassen, who is one of the founders of CAPPA/UFSM.[1]
Description[]
Venetoraptor possessed unique features among lagerpetids, including a bird-like recurved beak likely covered with a keratin sheath, and enlarged hands with sizable claws. It is suggested that these features hint at the loss of obligatory quadrupedalism in lagerpetids, and that some of these characteristics are adaptations for a scansorial lifestyle.
The forelimb digits of Venetoraptor, especially digit IV, are elongate. This is a trait that is similar to the condition in Pterosaurs, but is unique to Lagerpetidae among which digit III is usually the largest.[1]
Classification[]
In 2023, Müller et al. assigned Venetoraptor to the clade Lagerpetidae.[1] The group was later found to be paraphyletic in a phylogenetic analysis conducted by Garcia & Müller in 2025. It consisted of a grade of Pterosauromorphs wrapped around Pterosauria, with Venetoraptor being found to be the closest related to Pterosauria along with its sister taxa "Dromomeron" gregorii.[2]