PTERODACTYLOIDEA
CLASSIFICATION
Animalia: Vertebrata: Tetrapoda: Sauropsida: Archosauromorpha:
Ornithodira: Pterosauria
CLADOGRAM:
--Pterodactyloidea
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| indeterminate material (phalanx of digit IV) -- Aptian -- Niger
| ?unnamed large form (right manual phalanx II) -- Kimmeridgian
| Dermodactylus
| Eosipterus
| Herbstosaurus
| Kepodactylus
| Mesadactylus
| Wyomingopteryx
|--+--Nyctosaurus
| `--Ornithocheiroidea
| |--Ornithocheiridae
| | | INCERTAE SEDIS:
| | | indeterminate material (teeth) -- Cenomanian -- Morocco
| | | ?unnamed form (shoulder girdle, vertebra, mandible section) -- Albian -- Australia
| | |?-Araripedactylus
| | |?-Araripesaurus
| | |--Brasileodactylus
| | |--Ornithocheirus
| | `--Santanadactylus
| `--Pteranodontoidea
| | INCERTAE SEDIS:
| | indeterminate material (jaw fragments) -- Cenomanian -- Morocco
| | ?unnamed form (partial pelvis, sacral centra, sacral rib; ?toothed jaw fragment) -- Albian -- Australia
| |?-Bogolubovia
| |--Ornithostoma
| |--Istiodactylus
| |--Pteranodon
| `--Anhangueridae
| | INCERTAE SEDIS:
| | ?unnamed form (front of upper jaw without tip) -- Cretaceous -- Australia
| |?-Cearadactylus
| |--"Coloborhynchus" clavirostris
| |--Criorhynchus
| |--Siroccopteryx
| |--Tropeognathus
| `--Anhanguerinae
| |--Anhanguera
| `--Arthurdactylus
`--+--+--Cycnorhamphus
| |?-Normannognathus
| |--Pterodactylidae =Germanodactylidae
| | |?-Germanodactylus
| | |?-Haopterus
| | `--Pterodactylus
| `--Ctenochasmatidae
| |--Ctenochasma
| |--Huanhepterus
| |--Pterodaustro
| `--"Gnathosaurinae"
| |--Gnathosaurus
| `--Plataleorhynchus
`--+--Dsungaripteridae
| |--Dsungaripterus
| |--Noripterus
| |--"Phobetor"
| `--Puntanipterus
`--Azhdarchoidea
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| indeterminate material (jaw fragments) -- Cenomanian -- Morocco
|--Tapejara
`--+--Tupuxuara
`--Azhdarchidae
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| indeterminate material (jaw fragments) -- Cenomanian -- Morocco
| unnamed Solana giant form -- Spain
| unnamed form (specimen with skin impressions) -- Albian -- Brazil
| indeterminate material (proximal end of ulna) -- Maastrichtian -- Australia
|--Arambourgiania
|--Azhdarcho
|?-Bennettazhia
|--Diopocephalus
|?-Doratorhynchus
|--Montanazhdarcho
|--Quetzalcoatlus
`--Zhejiangopterus
[ Top | Classification | Essay ]ALTERNATE CLADOGRAM:
—Pterodactyloidea
|–“Scalmognatha”
| |–Germanodactylus
| `–+–Pteranodon
| `–+–Nyctosaurus
| |–Dsungaripteridae
| `–Tapejaridae
| |–Tapejara
| `–Tupuxuara
`–“Euthygnatha”
|–Germanodactylus rhamphastinus
`–+–Pterodactylus
|–+–+–Cycnorhamphus
| | `–Ornithodesmus latidens
| `–Ornithocheiroidea
| |–Ornithocheirus
| `–Anhangueridae
`–+–Pterodaustro
`–+–Ctenochasmatidae
| |–Ctenochasma
| `–Gnathosaurus
`–“Tanydiroptera”
|–Diopocephalus
|–Doratorhynchus
|–Huanhepterus
`–Azhdarchidae
ESSAY
| Pterodactyloids included the largest flying animals of all time. Giants like Quetzalcoatlus could grow to have wingspans over 30 feet, possibly weighing over 500 pounds. R ISE AND FALL:These short-tailed pterosaurs came in a wide variety of forms, from the forceps-beaked Dsungaripterus to the sieve-toothed Pterodaustro to the toothless Pteranodon. Several had enormous crests atop their heads. Pterodactyloid diversity declined throughout the Late Cretaceous. By the end there were only a few giant forms, the smaller niches having all been taken over by birds. This last remnant went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous, as did all ornithodirans save for neornithean birds. |
