Azhdarchoidea

{{short description|Superfamily of pterodactyloid pterosaurs}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Azhdarchoids | fossil_range = Early - Late Cretaceous, {{fossilrange|143|66|earliest=152}} Possible Late Jurassic record<ref name=UH99>{{cite journal |last=Unwin |first=David M. |author-link=David M. Unwin |author2=Heinrich, Wolf-Dieter |year=1999 |title=On a pterosaur jaw from the Upper Jurassic of Tendaguru (Tanzania) |journal=Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=121–134 |doi=10.1002/mmng.1999.4860020109 |bibcode=1999FossR...2..121U |doi-access=free }}</ref> | image = Azhdarchoidea infobox panoply.png | image_caption = Four azhdarchoids (clockwise from top left): ''Quetzalcoatlus'', ''Tapejara'', ''Tupuxuara'', and ''Meilifeilong'' | image_upright = 1.3 | taxon = Azhdarchoidea | authority = Unwin, 1995 | subdivision_ranks = Subgroups | subdivision = * {{extinct}}''Keresdrakon'' * {{extinct}}''Palaeocursornis''? * {{extinct}}'''Tapejaromorpha''' Andres et al., 2014 ** {{extinct}}''Rexarthuria'' ** {{extinct}}'''Thalassodromidae''' ** {{extinct}}'''Tapejaridae''' ** {{extinct}}'''Caupedactylia''' *** {{extinct}}''Aymberedactylus'' *** {{extinct}}''Bennettazhia''? *** {{extinct}}''Caupedactylus'' * {{extinct}}'''Azhdarchomorpha''' Pêgas et al., 2022 ** {{extinct}}''Inabtanin'' ** {{extinct}}''Microtuban'' ** {{extinct}}''Montanazhdarcho'' ** {{extinct}}''Radiodactylus'' ** {{extinct}}'''Alanqidae''' ** {{extinct}}'''Azhdarchidae''' ** {{extinct}}'''Chaoyangopteridae''' }} '''Azhdarchoidea''' ({{IPA|/æʒdɑːrˈkɔɪdɪːə/|cat=no}}, meaning "azhdarchid-like forms") is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. Pterosaurs belonging to this group lived throughout the Early and Late Cretaceous periods, with one tentative member, ''Tendaguripterus'', that lived in the Late Jurassic period. Remains of this group have been found in the Americas, Africa, and Eurasia, suggesting that they probably had a global distribution.

Azhdarchoids are generally distinguished from other pterodactyloids by their relatively low arm-to-leg-length ratio, suggesting that they were more proficient in moving on the ground than pterosaurs like ''Pteranodon'' or ''Anhanguera'' (which had very long arms relative to the length of their legs). This has led some researchers to suggest that many azhdarchoids, such as the azhdarchids and dsungaripterids, may have been primarily terrestrial, while retaining the ability to fly when necessary.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.014 |title=Hand and foot morphology maps invasion of terrestrial environments by pterosaurs in the mid-Mesozoic |date=2024 |last1=Smyth |first1=Robert S.H. |last2=Breithaupt |first2=Brent H. |last3=Butler |first3=Richard J. |last4=Falkingham |first4=Peter L. |last5=Unwin |first5=David M. |journal=Current Biology |volume=34 |issue=21 |pages=4894–4907.e3 |pmid=39368469 |bibcode=2024CBio...34.4894S |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Classification== Azhdarchoidea was named by paleontologist David Unwin in 1995.<ref>Unwin, D. M. 1995. Preliminary results of a phylogenetic analysis of the Pterosauria (Diapsida: Archosauria); pp. 69–72 in A. Sun and Y. Wang (eds.), Sixth Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota, Short Papers. China Ocean Press, Beijing.</ref> He later gave the clade a phylogenetic definition in 2003. He defined the group as the most recent common ancestor of ''Quetzalcoatlus'' and ''Tapejara'', and all its descendants.<ref name="unwin2003" />

===Relationships=== Azhdarchoidea is generally considered as one of three major clades of pterodactyloids. The other two major groups are Archaeopterodactyloidea and Pteranodontoidea. In some older classification schemes, azhdarchoids were considered to be closely related to ctenochasmatoids like ''Pterodactylus'' and ''Ctenochasma''. However, most researchers no longer consider this arrangement to be very likely. Instead, azhdarchoids are grouped as close relatives of pteranodontoids under the clade Ornithocheiroidea, which would comprise the bulk of pterodactyloid diversity.

A simplified cladogram illustrating the relationships between azhdarchoids and other pterosaurs based on the analysis of Brian Andres, James Clark, and Xu Xing in 2014 is shown below.<ref name=kryptodrakon /> {{clade |label1=Monofenestrata |1={{clade |1=Darwinoptera |2={{clade |1=Anurognathidae |label2=Pterodactyloidea |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Archaeopterodactyloidea 70px |2={{clade |1=Azhdarchoidea 70px |2=Pteranodontoidea 70px }} }} }} }} }} }}

===Taxonomy=== [[File:Kariridraco_by_Júlia_d’Oliveira.jpg|thumb|left|''Kariridraco'', a member of the disputed family Thalassodromidae]] Azhdarchoidea is generally believed to be composed of several principle families: Azhdarchidae, Chaoyangopteridae, Tapejaridae, Thalassodromidae, and potentially Dsungaripteridae, although Thalassodromidae of these is considered to be a lineage tapejarids by some researchers. However, the interrelationships of these groups is not confidently understood. The azhdarchids and chaoyangopterids are generally considered to be one another's closest relatives, but the affinities of tapejarids, thalassodromids, and dsungaripterids are controversial.<ref name=witton2013>{{cite book |last=Witton |first=M. P. |title=Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-691-15061-1 |edition=1st}}</ref> Some researchers also consider an additional grouping, Alanqidae, composed of taxa formerly considered azhdarchids.<ref name=pegasetal2021/>

There are several competing views of azhdarchoid relationships. An early study presented by paleontologist Felipe Pinheiro and colleagues in 2011 considered the tapejarids to be a monophyletic clade including the thalassodromines and the chaoyangopterids (therein called "chaoyangopterines").<ref name=pinheiroetal2011>Pinheiro, F.L., Fortier, D.C., Schultz, C.L., De Andrade, J.A.F.G. and Bantim, R.A.M. (in press). "New information on ''Tupandactylus imperator'', with comments on the relationships of Tapejaridae (Pterosauria)." ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'', in press, available online 03 Jan 2011. {{doi|10.4202/app.2010.0057}}</ref> Other earlier studies, such as that of paleontologists Darren Naish & David Martill in 2006, and that of Lü Junchang and colleagues in 2008, considered the traditional "tapejarids" to be a paraphyletic grade of primitive azhdarchoids, with true tapejarids more basal, and the thalassodromines (alternatively called thalassodromids) and chaoyangopterids being successively more closely related to azhdarchids.<ref name="Martill2006">{{cite journal |last1=Martill |first1=D. M. |last2=Naish |first2=D. |title=Cranial crest development in the Azhdarchoid pterosaur ''Tupuxuara'', with a review of the genus and tapejarid monophyly |journal=Palaeontology |date=2006 |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=925–941 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00575.x|s2cid=15609202 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2006Palgy..49..925M }}</ref><ref name=luetal2008>{{cite journal | last1 = Lü | first1 = J. | last2 = Unwin | first2 = D.M. | last3 = Xu | first3 = L. | last4 = Zhang | first4 = X. | year = 2008 | title = A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China and its implications for pterosaur phylogeny and evolution | journal = Naturwissenschaften | volume = 95 | issue = 9| pages = 891–897 | doi = 10.1007/s00114-008-0397-5 | pmid = 18509616 | bibcode = 2008NW.....95..891L | s2cid = 13458087 }}</ref> {{multiple image | direction = vertical | width = 220px | align = right | image1 = Hatzegopteryx.png | image3 = Arambourgiania philadelphiae.png | caption3 = Life reconstructions of ''Hatzegopteryx'' (top) and ''Arambourgiania'' (bottom), giant members of the family Azhdarchidae }} Generally speaking, in the modern scientific literature, there are two major competing hypotheses regarding the classification of azhdarchoids. The first of these is based on the work of Brian Andres and colleagues, who have published multiple papers on the taxa ''Kryptodrakon'', ''Elanodactylus'', and ''Quetzalcoatlus'' among others, in which they examined the phylogenetic relationships of these groups.<ref name=kryptodrakon /><ref name=elanodactylus>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00761.x |title=A New Pterosaur from the Liaoning Province of China, the Phylogeny of the Pterodactyloidea, and Convergence in Their Cervical Vertebrae |date=2008 |last1=Andres |first1=Brian |last2=Qiang |first2=JI |journal=Palaeontology |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=453–469 |bibcode=2008Palgy..51..453A |url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/16204/files/PAL_E3412.pdf }}</ref> Andres and colleagues have generally suggested that Dsungaripteridae and Thalassodromidae are closely related and that they form a clade (Dsungaripteromorpha) which is more closely related to Azhdarchidae than Tapejaridae.<ref name=kryptodrakon>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.030| title = The Earliest Pterodactyloid and the Origin of the Group| journal = Current Biology| year = 2014| last1 = Andres | first1 = B. | last2 = Clark | first2 = J. | last3 = Xu | first3 = X. | pmid=24768054 | volume=24 | issue = 9| pages=1011–6| doi-access = free | bibcode = 2014CBio...24.1011A}}</ref> This result has been corroborated by some other authors.<ref name=longrichetal2018>{{cite journal |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.2001663|doi-access=free |title=Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary |date=2018 |last1=Longrich |first1=Nicholas R. |last2=Martill |first2=David M. |last3=Andres |first3=Brian |journal=PLOS Biology |volume=16 |issue=3 |article-number=e2001663 |pmid=29534059 |pmc=5849296 }}</ref> A simplified version of Andres and colleagues' phylogeny is shown below.<ref name=kryptodrakon /> {{clade|style=font-size:80%; line-height:80%; |label1=Ornithocheiroidea |1={{clade |1=Pteranodontoidea |label2='''Azhdarchoidea''' |2={{clade |1=Tapejaridae |label2=Neoazhdarchia |2={{clade |label1=Dsungaripteromorpha |1={{clade |1=''Microtuban'' |2={{clade |1=Dsungaripteridae |2=Thalassodromidae }} }} |label2=Neopterodactyloidea |2={{clade |1=Chaoyangopteridae |label2=Azhdarchiformes |2={{clade |1=''Radiodactylus'' |2={{clade |1=''Montanazhdarcho'' |2=Azhdarchidae }} }} }} }} }} }} }} [[File:Jiufotang_tapejarids.png|thumb|Tapejarids, one of the prominent azhdarchoid families. ''Sinopterus'' (left) and ''Huaxiadraco'' (right) are pictured]] The second hypothesis of azhdarchoid relationships is that Dsungaripteridae is the sister taxon of Azhdarchoidea within the larger clade Tapejaroidea. This hypothesis has been published on by R. Pêgas and colleagues in their extensive studies of pterosaurs like ''Sinopterus'', ''Thalassodromeus'', and ''Aerotitan''.<ref name=pegasetal2021 /><ref name=thalassodromeus2018>{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/02724634.2018.1443273 |title=New Information on the osteology and a taxonomic revision of the genus ''Thalassodromeus'' (Pterodactyloidea, Tapejaridae, Thalassodrominae) |date=2018 |last1=Pêgas |first1=Rodrigo V. |last2=Costa |first2=Fabiana R. |last3=Kellner |first3=Alexander W. A. |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=38 |issue=2 |article-number=e1443273 |bibcode=2018JVPal..38E3273P }}</ref><ref name=pegasetal2024>{{cite journal |doi=10.7717/peerj.14829|doi-access=free |title=A taxonomic revision of the ''Sinopterus'' complex (Pterosauria, Tapejaridae) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, with the new genus ''Huaxiadraco'' |date=2023 |last1=Pêgas |first1=Rodrigo V. |last2=Zhou |first2=Xuanyu |last3=Jin |first3=Xingsheng |last4=Wang |first4=Kai |last5=Ma |first5=Waisum |journal=PeerJ |volume=11 |article-number=e14829 |pmid=36788812 |pmc=9922500 }}</ref><ref name="tapejariformes">{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/08912963.2024.2355664 |title=A taxonomic note on the tapejarid pterosaurs from the Pterosaur Graveyard site (Caiuá Group, ?Early Cretaceous of Southern Brazil): Evidence for the presence of two species |date=2024 |last1=Pêgas |first1=Rodrigo V. |journal=Historical Biology |pages=1–22 }}</ref> This hypothesis has also received support from other authors.<ref name="Mimodactylus" /><ref name="Holgado2019" /> A simplified version of their phylogeny is shown below.<ref name=pegasetal2021 /> {{clade|style=font-size:80%; line-height:80%; |label1=Ornithocheiroidea |1={{clade |1=Pteranodontoidea |label2=Tapejaroidea |2={{clade |1=Dsungaripteridae |label2='''Azhdarchoidea''' |2={{clade |label1=Tapejaromorpha |1={{clade |1=Thalassodromidae |label2=Tapejariformes |2={{clade |1=Caupedactylia |2=Tapejaridae }} }} |label2=Azhdarchomorpha |2={{clade |1=''Keresdrakon'' |2={{clade |1=Chaoyangopteridae |label2=Azhdarchiformes |2={{clade |1=Alanqidae |2=Azhdarchidae }} }} }} }}}} }} }} In 2025, Henry N. Thomas and Skye N. McDavid performed an extensive revision of pterosaur phylogenetics with a focus on Azhdarchomorpha. Their results align with a previous analysis by Pêgas et al., (2024)<ref name="tapejariformes"/> finding Tapejaroidea to be monophyletic containing Dsungaripteromorpha and Azhdarchoidea, as well as Tapejaromorpha and Azhdarchomorpha being sister taxa within Azhdarchoidea.<ref name=ThomasMcDavid2025>{{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Henry N. |last2=McDavid |first2=Skye N. |title=Enter the dragons: the phylogeny of Azhdarchoidea (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) and the evolution of giant size in pterosaurs |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |date=5 Nov 2025 |volume=23 |issue=1 |article-number=2569368 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2025.2569368 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2025.2569368 |access-date=5 November 2025|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A simplified version of their results is shown below. {{clade|style=font-size:80%; line-height:80%; |label1=Ornithocheiroidea |1={{clade |1=Pteranodontoidea |label2=Tapejaroidea |2={{clade |1=Dsungaripteromorpha |label2='''Azhdarchoidea''' |2={{clade |label1=Tapejaromorpha |1={{clade |1=Thalassodromidae |label2=Tapejariformes |2={{clade |1=Caupedactylia |label2=Eutapejaria |2={{clade |1='''Palaeornis' cliftii'' |label2=Tapejaridae |2={{clade |1=Sinopterinae |label2=Tapejarinae |2={{clade |1=''Europejara'' |label2=Tapejarini |2={{clade |1=''Tupandactylus'' |2={{clade |1=''Tapejara'' |2=Caiuajarina }} }} }} }} }} }} }} |label2=Azhdarchomorpha |2={{clade |1=''Microtuban'' |2=''Inabtanin'' |label3=Concilazhia |3={{clade |label1=Chaoyangopteridae |1={{clade |1=Shenzhoupterinae |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Ornithostoma'' |2=''Apatorhamphus'' }} |2=Chaoyangopterinae }} }} |label2=Azhdarchiformes |2={{clade |1=Alanqidae |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Radiodactylus'' |2=''Montanazhdarcho'' }} |label2=Azhdarchidae |2={{clade |1=Phosphatodraconia |2={{clade |1=‘''Zhejiangopterus'' clade’ |label2=Azhdarchinae |2={{clade |1=''Azhdarcho'' |label2=Quetzalcoatlinae |2={{clade |1=''Cryodrakon'' |2={{clade |1=Hatzegopterygia |label2=Quetzalcoatlini |2={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Nipponopterus'' |2=''Gobiazhdarcho'' }} }} |2=Serpennata }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

====Subclades==== A wide variety of subclades have been defined within Azhdarchoidea in the last 15 years. Many of these have contradictory or overlapping definitions, and so whether or not these clades represent true monophyletic groups remains hotly debated. Some of the uncertainty regards the position of Thalassodromidae, which may be closely related to either Tapejaridae or Dsungaripteridae. Another source of uncertainty is the affinities of the dsungaripterids themselves. This problematic group has been found to be closely related to Ornithocheiromorpha,<ref name=Altmuehlopterus>Vidovic, S.U. and Martill, D.M. (2017). The taxonomy and phylogeny of ''Diopecephalus kochi'' (Wagner, 1837) and "''Germanodactylus rhamphastinus''" (Wagner, 1851). In Hone, D. W. E., Witton, M. P. &Martill, D. M. (eds) ''New Perspectives on Pterosaur Palaeobiology''. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 455 {{doi|10.1144/SP455.12}}</ref> just outside of Azhdarchoidea,<ref name="Kellner2019">{{Cite journal|last1=Kellner|first1=Alexander W. A.|last2=Weinschütz|first2=Luiz C.|last3=Holgado|first3=Borja|last4=Bantim|first4=Renan A. M.|last5=Sayão|first5=Juliana M.|date=August 19, 2019|title=A new toothless pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from Southern Brazil with insights into the paleoecology of a Cretaceous desert|journal=Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências|language=en|volume=91|issue=suppl 2|article-number=e20190768|doi=10.1590/0001-3765201920190768|pmid=31432888|issn=0001-3765|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Mimodactylus">{{cite journal |last1=Kellner |first1=Alexander W. A. |last2=Caldwell |first2=Michael W. |last3=Holgado |first3=Borja |last4=Vecchia |first4=Fabio M. Dalla |last5=Nohra |first5=Roy |last6=Sayão |first6=Juliana M. |last7=Currie |first7=Philip J. |title=First complete pterosaur from the Afro-Arabian continent: insight into pterodactyloid diversity |journal=Scientific Reports |date=2019 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=17875 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-54042-z|pmid=31784545 |pmc=6884559 |bibcode=2019NatSR...917875K |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Holgado2019">Borja Holgado, R. V. Pêgas, José Ignacio Canudo, Josep Fortuny, Taissa Rodrigues, Julio Company & Alexander W.A. Kellner, 2019, "On a new crested pterodactyloid from the Early Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula and the radiation of the clade Anhangueria", ''Scientific Reports'' '''9''': 4940 {{doi|10.1038/s41598-019-41280-4}}</ref><ref name="Jiang2020">{{Cite journal|last1=Jiang|first1=Shun-Xing|last2=Zhang|first2=Xin-Jun|last3=Cheng|first3=Xin|last4=Wang|first4=Xiao-Lin|year=2020|title=A new pteranodontoid pterosaur forelimb from the upper Yixian Formation, with a revision of ''Yixianopterus jingangshanensis''|journal=Vertebrata PalAsiatica|url=http://www.ivpp.cas.cn/cbw/gjzdwxb/pressonline/202011/P020210203354269995268.pdf|doi=10.19615/j.cnki.1000-3118.201124}}</ref> or within Azhdarchoidea.<ref name=kryptodrakon /><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.4202/app.00848.2020 |title=A new pterosaur species from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil and the paleobiogeography of the Tapejaridae (Azhdarchoidea) |date=2021 |last1=Cerqueira |first1=Gabriela |last2=Santos |first2=Mateus |last3=Marks |first3=Maikon |last4=Sayão |first4=Juliana |last5=Pinheiro |first5=Felipe |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=66 |doi-access=free }}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="100%" ! Name ! Named by ! Definition ! Notes |- | '''Azhdarchiformes''' | Andres, 2021<ref name=andres2021>{{cite journal |first1=B. |last1=Andres |first2=W. Jr. |last2=Langston |title=Morphology and taxonomy of ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea) |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |year=2021 |volume=41 |issue=sup1 |page=142 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2021.1907587 |bibcode=2021JVPal..41S..46A |s2cid=245125409 |issn=0272-4634|doi-access=free }}</ref> | Most-inclusive clade containing ''Quetzalcoatlus'', but not ''Chaoyangopterus'' | |- | '''Azhdarchomorpha''' | Pêgas et al., 2021<ref name=pegasetal2021>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104998 |title=On the pterosaur Aerotitan sudamericanus (Neuquén Basin, Upper Cretaceous of Argentina), with comments on azhdarchoid phylogeny and jaw anatomy |date=2022 |last1=Pêgas |first1=Rodrigo V. |last2=Holgado |first2=Borja |last3=Ortiz David |first3=Leonardo D. |last4=Baiano |first4=Mattia A. |last5=Costa |first5=Fabiana R. |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=129 |bibcode=2022CrRes.12904998P }}</ref> | Most-inclusive clade containing ''Azhdarcho'', but not ''Tapejara'' or ''Thalassodromeus'' | May be synonymous with Neopterodactyloidea if ''Thalassodromeus'' is a member of Tapejaridae |- | '''Concilazhia''' | Thomas & McDavid, 2025<ref name=ThomasMcDavid2025/> | Least-inclusive clade containing ''Azhdarcho'', ''Chaoyangopterus'', and ''Alanqa'' | Similar definition to 'Neopterodactyloidea' but uses ''Azhdarcho'' as an internal specifier rather than ''Quetzalcoatlus'' |- | '''Dsungaripteromorpha''' | Andres et al., 2014<ref name=kryptodrakon /> | Most-inclusive clade containing ''Dsungaripterus'' but not ''Quetzalcoatlus'' | May be synonymous with Dsungaripteridae if Dsungaripteridae is outside of Azhdarchoidea |- | '''Neoazhdarchia''' | Unwin, 2003<ref name=unwin2003>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, London, 1-347.</ref> | Least-inclusive clade containing both ''Azhdarcho'' and ''Tupuxuara'' | May be synonymous with Azhdarchoidea if ''Tupuxuara'' belongs to Tapejaridae; has alternately been used interchangeably with Azhdarchomorpha <ref name=witton2013/> |- | '''Neopterodactyloidea''' | Andres et al., 2014<ref name=kryptodrakon /> | Least inclusive clade containing both ''Azhdarcho'' and ''Chaoyangopterus'' | May be used interchangeably with Azhdarchomorpha if ''Chaoyangopterus'' is its most basal member; however, under the PhyloCode, this clade is improperly named, as it is derived from ''Pterodactylus'' despite not including the genus in the clade |- | '''Tapejariformes''' | Pêgas et al., 2024<ref name=tapejariformes/> | The clade characterized by a downturned rostrum synapomorphic with that of ''Tapejara'' | May be synonymous with Tapejaridae if ''Caupedactylus'' is a tapejarid |- | '''Tapejaroidea''' | Kellner, 1996<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kellner|first=A.W.A.|year=1996|title=Description of new material of Tapejaridae and Anhangueridae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) and discussion of pterosaur phylogeny|journal=Columbia University}}</ref> | Least-inclusive clade containing ''Quetzalcoatlus'', ''Tapejara'', and ''Dsungaripterus'' | May be synonymous with Azhdarchoidea if ''Dsungaripterus'' is more closely related to ''Quetzalcoatlus'' than either are to ''Tapejara''; alternatively used for a clade containing Tapejaridae and Thalassodromidae<ref name="Banguela">{{Cite journal|author=Jaime A. Headden and Hebert B.N. Campos |year=2014 |title=An unusual edentulous pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation of Brazil |journal=Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology |volume=27 |issue=7 |pages=815–826 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2014.904302 |s2cid=129306469 }}</ref> |- | '''Tapejaromorpha''' | Andres et al., 2014<ref name=kryptodrakon /> | Most inclusive clade containing ''Tapejara'' but not ''Azhdarcho'' | |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Azhdarchoidea Category:Reptile clades Category:Cretaceous reptiles