Patagorhynchus
Extinct genus of monotremes
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Patagorhynchus is a genus of prehistoric monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (early Maastrichtian) Chorrillo Formation of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Patagorhynchus pascuali. The holotype, MPM-PV-23087, consists of a lower right molar attached to a fragment of the dentary. Based on comparisons with the closely related Obdurodon, it is estimated to have weighed ~1.58 kg.[1] It was collected near Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina in 2022 and is housed in the Museo Padre Molina.[2]
| Patagorhynchus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, early | |
|---|---|
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| Holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Monotremata |
| Family: | Ornithorhynchidae (?) |
| Genus: | †Patagorhynchus Chimento et al., 2023 |
| Species: | †P. pascuali |
| Binomial name | |
| †Patagorhynchus pascuali Chimento et al., 2023 | |
Etymology
The first part of the genus name, Patago, refers to Patagonia and Ancient Greek ῥύγχος (rhúnkhos), meaning "snout". The species name pascuali honors Argentine paleomammalogist Rosendo Pascual.[2]
Evolution
Classification
Chimento et al. (2023) recovered Patagorhynchus as a monotreme mammal. The simplified results of their phylogenetic analyses are shown in the cladogram below:[2]
| Monotremaformes |
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