Melkamter

Melkamter is the oldest known monofenestratan pterosaur, meaning it lived earlier than any other member of that group.2

Its name comes from the Tehuelche language: 'mel' means wing and 'kamter' means big lizard.2

The species name 'pateko' honors the Queso Rallado fossil site and the broken condition of the bones.2

Melkamter had a skull with a single opening in front of the eye, a feature that links it to later pterodactyloids.2

Its teeth were short, stout and cone-shaped, with gaps between them bigger than the tooth length, which is typical for insect-eaters.2

The fossil was found in the Cañadón Asfalto Formation, which has also yielded other pterosaurs, showing that Gondwana had a rich pterosaur fauna in the Early Jurassic.2