Pterodactylidae is a controversial group of

pterosaur Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to ...

s. During the 2000s and 2010s, several competing definitions for the various Jurassic pterodactyloid groups were proposed. Pereda-Suberbiola ''et al.'' (2012) used Fabien Knoll's (2000) definition of the name Pterodactylidae. Knoll had defined Pterodactylidae as a clade containing "''

Pterodactylus antiquus ''Pterodactylus'' (from Greek () meaning 'winged finger') is an extinct genus of pterosaurs. It is thought to contain only a single species, ''Pterodactylus antiquus'', which was the first pterosaur to be named and identified as a flying rept ...

'', ''

Ctenochasma elegans ''Ctenochasma'' (meaning "comb jaw") is a genus of Late Jurassic ctenochasmatid pterosaur belonging to the suborder Pterodactyloidea. Three species are currently recognized: ''C. roemeri'' (named after Friedrich Adolph Roemer), ''C. taqueti'', a ...

'', their most recent common ancestor and all its descendants". Using this definition with the analysis conducted by Pereda-Suberbiola ''et al.'' (2012) meant that Ctenochasmatoidea was nested inside Pterodactylidae.

Classification

Below is the majority-rule consensus tree found by Pereda-Suberbiola ''et al.'' (2012), showing their preferred definitions of Pterodactylidae and

Ctenochasmatoidea Ctenochasmatoidea is a group of early pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. Their remains are usually found in what were once coastal or lake environments. They generally had long wings, long necks, and highly specialized teeth. Evol ...

. Other researchers, such as David Unwin, have traditionally defined Pterodactylidae in such a way to ensure it is nested within Ctenochasmatoidea instead. In 2003, Unwin defined the same clade (''Pterodactylus'' + ''Pterodaustro'') with the name

Euctenochasmatia Euctenochasmatia is an extinct group of pterodactyloid pterosaurs. It was named by David Unwin in 2003 as the group that contains the most recent common ancestor of ''Pterodactylus'' and ''Ctenochasma'', and all their descendants. Euctenochasmat ...

. Unwin considered this to be a subgroup within Ctenochasmatoidea, but most analyses since have found ''Pterodactylus'' to be more primitive than he thought, making Euctenochasmatia the more inclusive group.Unwin, D. M., (2003). "On the phylogeny and evolutionary history of pterosaurs", pp. 139–190. in Buffetaut, E. & Mazin, J.-M., (eds.) (2003). ''Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs''. Geological Society of London, Special Publications 217.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21446884 Pterodactyloids Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte