Preondactylus

Taxobox
name = "Preondactylus"
fossil_range = Fossil range|220Late Triassic


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Preondactylus buffarinii"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Pterosauria
subordo = Rhamphorhynchoidea
familia = Rhamphorhynchidae
genus = "Preondactylus"
species = "P. bufarinii"
binomial = "Preondactylus buffarinii"
binomial_authority = Wild, 1983

"Preondactylus" is a genus of long-tailed pterosaur from the Late Triassic that inhabited what is now Italy. It was discovered by Nando Buffarini in 1982 near Udine in the Preone valley of the Italian Alps.

When it was first discovered, the slab of rock containing the fossil "Preondactylus" was broken into various pieces while being extracted. After reassembly the rock was washed and the marl and bone was washed away and lost, leaving a negative imprint on the stone. The rock type in which "Preondactylus" was found was bituminous, dolomitic limestone. A second, disarticulated specimen, which measured 45 cm in length, was found in 1984 about 150-200 meters below the surface. It was most likely a meal for a predator 220 million years ago.

"Preondactylus" had single cusp teeth, meaning they had one point on each tooth. Its diet either consisted of fish, insects or both, but there is still debate going on as the tooth structure could indicate either diet (or both). They had short wings and long legs. This species is considered primitive by pterosaur standards, though it was a fully developed flier.

"Preondactylus" resembled the related pterosaur genus "Dorygnathus".

References

"Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Creatures", Edited by Ingrid Cranfield 2000 Salamander Books Ltd p 284-285.