PBDB Taxon

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Pterodactylus

Reptilia - Pterosauria

Taxonomy

Pterodactylus was named by Cuvier (1809). Its type is Scaphognathus crassirostris.

It was synonymized subjectively with Ornithocephalus by Hay (1902), Hay (1930).

It was assigned to Draconoidea by Fitzinger (1826); to Pterodactyli by Fitzinger (1843), Meyer (1845); to Pterosauria by Owen (1842), Owen (1859), Owen (1860), Owen (1861); to Pterosauria by Günther (1886); to Euctenochasmatia by Unwin (2003); to Pterodactylidae by d'Orbigny (1849), Zittel (1890), Van Den Broeck (1900), Delair (1958), Charig (1967), Carroll (1988), Jouve (2004), Pereda-Suberbiola et al. (2012); to Lophocratia by Andres et al. (2014); to Pterodactyloidea by Bennett (2013), Headden and Campos (2014); and to Monofenestrata by Lu et al. (2015).

Species

P. antiquus, P. arningi, P. brancai, P. cirinensis, P. dubius, P. giganteus, P. kochi (syn. P. scolopaciceps), P. lavateri, P. longirostris (syn. P. crocodilocephaloides), P. maximus, P. medius, P. micronyx (syn. Ornithocephalus redenbacheri), P. propinquus, P. secundarius, P. spectabilis, P. umbrosus

Synonyms

Pterodactylus brancai was named by Reck (1931). Its type specimen is MB.R.2842, MB.R.2848, a limb element (tibiotarsus and wing-phalanx), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Tendaguru quarry MD, which is in a Tithonian estuary/bay sandstone in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania.

It was recombined as Dsungaripterus brancai by Galton (1980); it was considered a nomen dubium by Unwin and Heinrich (1999).
Pterodactylus maximus was named by Reck (1931). Its type specimen is MB.R.2844, a set of limb elements (Large right ulna), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Tendaguru Quarry B, which is in a Tithonian estuary/bay marl in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Unwin and Heinrich (1999).
Pterodactylus arningi was named by Reck (1931). Its type specimen is MB.R.2843, a set of limb elements (Wing phalanx), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Tendaguru quarry IV, which is in a Tithonian channel marl/sandstone in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Unwin and Heinrich (1999).
Macrotrachelus was named by Giebel (1852).

It was synonymized subjectively with Pterodactylus by Zittel (1890).
Pterotherium was named by Fischer (1813).

It was synonymized subjectively with Pterodactylus by Zittel (1890).
Diopecephalus was named by Seeley (1871).

It was synonymized subjectively with Pterodactylus by Zittel (1890).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1809	Pterodactylus Cuvier
1813	Pterotherium Fischer
1826	Pterodactylus Fitzinger p. 16
1842	Pterodactylus Owen p. 156
1843	Pterodactylus Fitzinger p. 35
1845	Pterodactylus Meyer p. 281
1849	Pterodactylus d'Orbigny p. 211
1852	Macrotrachelus Giebel
1859	Pterodactylus Owen p. 151
1860	Pterodactylus Owen p. 246
1861	Pterodactylus Owen p. 274
1871	Diopecephalus Seeley
1886	Pterodactylus Günther p. 444
1890	Pterodactylus Zittel p. 791
1900	Pterodactylus Van Den Broeck p. 106
1931	Pterodactylus arningi Reck
1931	Pterodactylus maximus Reck p. 328 fig. 2
1931	Pterodactylus brancai Reck p. 330 figs. 3-4
1958	Pterodactylus Delair p. 69
1967	Pterodactylus Charig p. 717
1980	Dsungaripterus brancai Galton p. 340
1988	Pterodactylus Carroll
2003	Pterodactylus Unwin p. 145
2004	Pterodactylus Jouve
2012	Pterodactylus Pereda-Suberbiola et al.
2013	Pterodactylus Bennett
2014	Pterodactylus Andres et al.
2014	Pterodactylus Headden and Campos
2015	Pterodactylus Lu et al.

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida

Rank	Name	Author
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Pterosauromorpha	Padian 1997
order	Pterosauria	Kaup 1834
—	Macronychoptera
—	Novialoidea	Kellner 2003
—	Lonchognatha
—	Monofenestrata
genus	Pterodactylus	Cuvier 1809

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. †Pterodactylus Cuvier 1809

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†Pterodactylus antiquus Soemmerring 1812

†Pterodactylus cirinensis Meyer 1860

†Pterodactylus dubius Münster 1832

†Pterodactylus giganteus Bowerbank 1846

†Pterodactylus kochi Wagner 1837

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Invalid names: Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer 1850 [synonym]

†Pterodactylus lavateri Meyer 1838

†Pterodactylus longirostris Cuvier 1819

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Invalid names: Pterodactylus crocodilocephaloides Ritgen 1826 [synonym]

†Pterodactylus medius Münster 1831

†Pterodactylus micronyx Meyer 1856

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Invalid names: Ornithocephalus redenbacheri Wagner 1851 [synonym]

†Pterodactylus propinquus Wagner 1857

†Pterodactylus secundarius Meyer 1843

†Pterodactylus spectabilis Meyer 1861

†Pterodactylus umbrosus Cope 1872

Invalid names: Diopecephalus Seeley 1871 [synonym], Macrotrachelus Giebel 1852 [synonym], Pterodactylus arningi Reck 1931 [nomen dubium], Pterodactylus brancai Reck 1931 [nomen dubium], Pterodactylus maximus Reck 1931 [nomen dubium], Pterotherium Fischer 1813 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
S. C. Bennett 2013	As for type and only species [Pterodactylus antiquus]