Genus
Valid Extinct

Phosphatodraco

Pereda Suberbiola et al. 2003

Phosphatodraco is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous of what is now Morocco. In 2000 a pterosaur specimen consisting of five cervical (neck) vertebrae was discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Phosphatic Basin. The specimen was made the holotype of the new genus and species Phosphatodraco mauritanicus in 2003; the genus name means "dragon from the phosphates", and the specific name refers to the region of Mauretania. Phosphatodraco was the first Late Cretaceous pterosaur known from North Africa, and the second pterosaur genus described from Morocco. It is one of the only known azhdarchids preserving a relatively complete neck, and was one of the last known pterosaurs. Additional cervical vertebrae have since been assigned to the genus, and it has been suggested that fossils of the pterosaur Tethydraco represent wing elements of Phosphatodraco.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
2
Group
Ptérosaures
Piscivore Volant Marine
Phosphatodraco
click to enlarge
Cervical vertebra of Phosphatodraco mauritanicus (FSAC-OB 12) in (A) dorsal view, (B) ventral view, (C) left lateral view; (D) anterior view; (E) posterior view. Abbreviations: cot = cotyle; hyp = hypapophysis; nsp = neural spine; pex = postexapophysis; poz, postzygapophysis; prz, prezygapophysis. © Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill and Brian Andres · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Pterosauria Order
Pterodactyloidea Suborder
Azhdarchoidea Superfamily
Azhdarchidae Family
Phosphatodraco Genus
Fossil sites 2 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇲🇦 Morocco
2
Geological formations
Couche III
2
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
2
Species (1)
Phosphatodraco mauritanicus 72 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
X. Pereda Suberbiola, N. Bardet, and S. Jouve, M. Iarochène, B. Bouya, M. Amaghzaz. 2003. A new azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco. Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 217:79-90
Bibliography (2)
N. R. Longrich, D. M. Martill, and B. Andres. 2018. Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. PLoS Biology 16(3):e2001663:1-38 DOI ↗
X. Pereda Suberbiola, N. Bardet, and S. Jouve, M. Iarochène, B. Bouya, M. Amaghzaz. 2003. A new azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco. Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 217:79-90