This list of pterosaurs is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the order Pterosauria, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful (nomen dubium), or were not formally published (nomen nudum), as well as junior synonyms of more established names, and genera that are no longer considered pterosaurian.
Scope and terminology
There is no official, canonical list of pterosaur genera, but the most thorough attempts can be found at the Pterosauria section of Mikko Haaramo's Phylogeny Archive,[1] the Genus Index at Mike Hanson's The Pterosauria,[2] supplemented by the Pterosaur Species List,[3] and in the fourth supplement of Donald F. Glut's Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia series.[4]
Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include:
- Junior synonym: A name which describes the same taxon as a previously published name. If two or more genera are formally designated and the type specimens are later assigned to the same genus, the first to be published (in chronological order) is the senior synonym, and all other instances are junior synonyms. Senior synonyms are generally used, except by special decision of the ICZN, but junior synonyms cannot be used again, even if deprecated. Junior synonymy is often subjective, unless the genera described were both based on the same type specimen.
- Nomen nudum (Latin for "naked name"): A name that has appeared in print but has not yet been formally published by the standards of the ICZN. Nomina nuda (the plural form) are invalid, and are therefore not italicized as a proper generic name would be. If the name is later formally published, that name is no longer a nomen nudum and will be italicized on this list. Often, the formally published name will differ from any nomina nuda that describe the same specimen. In this case, these nomina nuda will be deleted from this list in favor of the published name.
- Preoccupied name: A name that is formally published, but which has already been used for another taxon. This second use is invalid (as are all subsequent uses) and the name must be replaced. As preoccupied names are not valid generic names, they will also go unitalicized on this list.
- Nomen dubium (Latin for "dubious name"): A name describing a fossil with no unique diagnostic features. As this can be an extremely subjective and controversial designation, this term is not used on this list.
A
Additional recommended knowledge
- Amblydectes — junior synonym of Coloborhynchus
- Angustinaripterus
- Anhanguera
- Anurognathus
- Apatomerus — more likely a plesiosaurian
- Arambourgiania
- Aralazhdarcho
- Araripedactylus
- Araripesaurus
- Arthurdactylus
- Austriadactylus
- Avgodectes — probable junior synonym of Haopterus
- Azhdarcho
B
- Bakonydraco
- Batrachognathus
- Belonochasma — a non-pterosaurian gnathostome
- Beipiaopterus
- Bennettazhia
- Bogolubovia
- Boreopterus
- Brachytrachelus — preoccupied name; now known as Scaphognathus
- Brasileodactylus
C
- Cacibupteryx
- "Campylognathus" — preoccupied name; now known as Campylognathoides
- Campylognathoides
- "Cathayopterus" — nomen nudum
- Caulkicephalus
- Caviramus
- Cearadactylus
- Chaoyangopterus
- Cimoliornis — junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
- Coloborhynchus
- Comodactylus
- Cretornis — junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
- Criorhynchus — junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
- Ctenochasma
- Cycnorhamphus
D
- "Daitingopterus" — nomen nudum
- Dendrorhynchoides
- "Dendrorhynchus" — preoccupied name; now known as Dendrorhynchoides
- Dermodactylus
- Dimorphodon
- Diopecephalus — junior synonym of Pterodactylus
- Dolichorhamphus — junior synonym of Rhamphocephalus
- Domeykodactylus
- Doratorhynchus
- Dorygnathus
- Dsungaripterus
E
- Eoazhdarcho
- Eopteranodon
- Eosipterus
- Eudimorphodon
F
G
- Gallodactylus — junior synonym of Cycnorhamphus
- Geosternbergia — junior synonym of Pteranodon
- Gegepterus
- Germanodactylus
- Gnathosaurus
H
- Haopterus
- Harpactognathus
- Hatzegopteryx
- Herbstosaurus
- Huanhepterus
- Huaxiapterus
I
J
K
L
- Laopteryx
- Liaoningopterus
- Liaoningopteryx — misspelling of Liaoningopterus
- Liaoxipterus
- "Lithosteornis" — nomen nudum; junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
- Lonchodectes
- Lonchognathosaurus
- Longchengpterus
- Ludodactylus
M
- Macrotrachelus — junior synonym of Pterodactylus
- Mesadactylus
- Montanazhdarcho
- Muzquizopteryx
N
- Nesodactylus
- Nesodon — misspelling of Nesodactylus, also preoccupied
- Noripterus
- Normannognathus
- Nurhachius
- Nyctodactylus — junior synonym of Nyctosaurus
- Nyctosaurus
O
- "Odontorhynchus" — preoccupied, no replacement name yet coined
- "Oolithorhynchus" — nomen nudum; manuscript name about which almost nothing is known
- Ornithocephalus — junior synonym of Pterodactylus
- Ornithocheirus
- Ornithopterus — junior synonym of Rhamphorhynchus
- Ornithostoma
- "Osteornis" — nomen nudum; junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
P
- Pachyrhamphus — preoccupied name; now known as Scaphognathus
- Palaeornis — preoccupied name; junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
- Paranurognathus — junior synonym of Anurognathus
- Parapsicephalus
- Peteinosaurus
- "Phobetor" — nomen nudum and preoccupied
- Phosphatodraco
- Plataleorhynchus
- Preondactylus
- Pricesaurus
- Ptenodactylus — preoccupied name; junior synonym of Coloborhynchus
- Ptenodracon — junior synonym of Pterodactylus
- Pteranodon
- Pterodactylus
- Pterodaustro
- Pteromonodactylus — junior synonym of Rhamphorhynchus
- Pterorhynchus
- Pterotherium — junior synonym of Pterodactylus
- Puntanipterus
Q
R
- Rhabdopelix — thought to be a Triassic pterosaur, now known to be (at least in part) a kuehneosaurid
- Rhamphinion
- Rhamphocephalus
- Rhamphorhynchus
S
- Santanadactylus
- Scaphognathus
- Sinopterus
- Siroccopteryx — junior synonym of Coloborhynchus
- Sordes
T
- Tapejara
- Tendaguripterus
- Thalassodromeus
- "Titanopteryx" — preoccupied; now known as Arambourgiania
- Tribelesodon — thought to be a Triassic pterosaur, now known to be a misinterpreted specimen of the prolacertiform Tanystropheus
- Tropeognathus — junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
- Tupandactylus
- Tupuxuara
U
- Utahdactylus — probably a non-pterosaurian reptile
W
- "Wyomingopteryx" — nomen nudum
X
Y
Z
See also
List of pterosaur classifications
References
- ^ Haaramo, Mikko (2005-11-15). Pterosauria. Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved on March 29 2007.
- ^ Hanson, Mike (2005-10-12). Genus Index. The Pterosauria. Archosauria.org. Retrieved on March 29 2007.
- ^ Hanson, Mike (2006-09-30). The Pterosaur Species List (pdf). The Pterosauria. Archosauria.org. Retrieved on July 27 2007.
- ^ Glut, Donald F. (2006). "Appendix One: Pterosaurs", Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia. 4th Supplement. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 583-633. ISBN 0-7864-2295-5.
- ^ Almost new papers at the Dinosaur Mailing List describes the document in which it was named; see this page for a photograph of the type specimen
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