Rhamphocephalus is a genus of extinct reptiles from the Middle Jurassic period, with fossil remains discovered in the Stonesfield Slate of Oxfordshire, England. The genus was named and described by the British paleontologist Harry Govier Seeley in 1880.
Historical Classification For over a century, Rhamphocephalus was classified as a long-tailed pterosaur belonging to the family Rhamphorhynchidae. It was frequently cited in paleontological literature as one of the primary representatives of pterosaurs from the British Middle Jurassic (Bathonian stage). The genus was initially distinguished by fragmentary cranial remains and various postcranial elements that were assumed to belong to the same type of animal.
Taxonomic Revision A major re-evaluation of the genus published in 2018 by Michael O'Sullivan and David Martill demonstrated that Rhamphocephalus was a chimeric taxon based on misidentified remains. The researchers concluded that the holotype of the type species, Rhamphocephalus prestwichi, is not a pterosaur but a crocodylomorph. Specifically, the skull material was identified as belonging to a member of the Thalattosuchia, a group of marine crocodyliforms.
Because the type specimen of Rhamphocephalus is crocodylomorph, the genus can no longer be used to categorize pterosaur fossils. Other species previously assigned to the genus, such as R. bucklandi and R. depressirostris, are currently considered nomina dubia (doubtful names) because they are based on fragmentary material that lacks diagnostic features sufficient to distinguish them from other pterosaur taxa.
Etymology The name Rhamphocephalus is derived from the Ancient Greek words rhamphos, meaning "beak," and kephale, meaning "head." This name was originally chosen in reference to the perceived avian-like or beaked morphology of the fossil skull fragments.
