Azhdarchoidea

Azhdarchoids; Temporal range: Late Jurassic-Late Cretaceous, 150–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Reconstructed skeleton of Quetzalcoatlus northropi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	†Pterosauria
Suborder:	†Pterodactyloidea
Clade:	†Ornithocheiroidea
Clade:	†Azhdarchoidea; Nesov, 1984
Subgroups
	†Microtuban; †Ornithostoma; †Vectidraco; †Montanazhdarcho; †Tapejaridae; †Neoazhdarchia †Azhdarchidae; †Chaoyangopteridae; †Dsungaripteridae; †Thalassodromidae; ;

Azhdarchoidea is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.

Classification

There are currently two primary but competing views of azhdarchoid relationships. The first, presented by Felipe Pinheiro and colleagues in 2011, considers the tapejarids to be a monophyletic clade including the thalassodromines and chaoyangopterines.^[1] The second, found by Lu et al. 2008 as well as Naish & Martill 2006, considers the tapejarids to be a paraphyletic grade of primitive azhdarchoids. All azhdarchoids closer to Azhdarcho than to Tapejara are included in the clade Neoazhdarchia ("new azhdarchids").^[2]

Azhdarchoidea

Azhdarchidae

Tapejaridae

Thalassodrominae

	Chaoyangopterinae

	Tapejarinae

Azhdarchoidea

Tapejaridae

Neoazhdarchia

Thalassodromidae

	Chaoyangopteridae

	Azhdarchidae

Below is a cladogram showing the results of a phylogenetic analysis presented by Andres & Myers, 2013.^[3] For alternate cladograms, see List of pterosaur classifications.

Azhdarchoidea

Bennettazhia

Nemicolopterus

	"Sinopterus" gui

	Tapejaridae

Neoazhdarchia

Chaoyangopteridae

	Radiodactylus

	Azhdarchidae

	Thalassodromidae

	Dsungaripteridae

References

^ 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
^ Lü, J., Unwin, D.M., Xu, L., and Zhang, X. (2008). "A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China and its implications for pterosaur phylogeny and evolution." Naturwissenschaften, 95(9): 891-897. doi:10.1007/s00114-008-0397-5 PMID 18509616
^ Andres, B.; Myers, T. S. (2013). "Lone Star Pterosaurs". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: 1. doi:10.1017/S1755691013000303.

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[pinheiroetal2011-1] 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

[luetal2008-2] Lü, J., Unwin, D.M., Xu, L., and Zhang, X. (2008). "A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China and its implications for pterosaur phylogeny and evolution." Naturwissenschaften, 95(9): 891-897. doi:10.1007/s00114-008-0397-5 PMID 18509616

[LoneStarPterosaurs-3] Andres, B.; Myers, T. S. (2013). "Lone Star Pterosaurs". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: 1. doi:10.1017/S1755691013000303.

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