List of pterosaur genera

Authors and year

The authors column lists the authors of the formal description responsible for the erection of the genus listed. They are not necessarily the same as the authors of the type species as sometimes a species from one genus is determined sufficiently distinct to warrant the erection of a new genus to house it. If this is the case, only the latter authors will be listed. The year column notes the year the description was published.

Status

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.
• 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.

Age

The age column denotes the epoch of geologic time to which the fossils date. Genera that are invalid, misidentified, or otherwise do not represent a valid pterosaur are listed as age N/A because there was never a time in which a pterosaur by that generic name actually lived.

Location and notes

The location column designates the geographic region where remains of the relevant genus have been found. The regions used are continents except in the case of smaller landmasses (e.g. Cuba.) Political bodies, being non-existent in the Mesozoic are not used to indicate genera locations. Genera that are invalid, misidentified, or otherwise do not represent a valid pterosaur are listed as location N/A because there was never a place in which a pterosaur by that generic name actually lived. The notes column is a collection of annotations on the scientific significance and taxonomic history of listed genera, as well as elaborations on the information presented in other columns.

Genera

More information Genus, Authors ...

Genus	Authors	Year	Status	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Aerodactylus	Vidovic & Martill	2014	Disputed	Late Jurassic	Germany	Some studies suggest that every specimen referred to this genus is indistinguishable from Pterodactylus[5][6]
Aerodraco	Holgado & Pêgas	2020	Valid	Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Originally named as a species of Pterodactylus
Aerotitan	Novas et al.	2012	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Argentina	The first azhdarchid pterosaur discovered in South America
Aetodactylus	Myers	2010	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Known from a nearly complete lower jaw
Afrotapejara	Martill et al.	2020	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	The first known African tapejarid and the fourth named pterosaur from the Kem Kem Group
Aidachar	Nesov	1981	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Actually a teleost fish whose remains were originally mistaken for jaw fragments of a ctenochasmatid. The mistake was corrected in 1986
Akharhynchus[7]	Jacobs, Smith & Zouhri	2024	Valid	Early Cretaceous? to Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Closely related to the contemporary Siroccopteryx
Alamodactylus	Andres & Myers	2013	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Based on a partial but badly damaged left wing
Alanqa	Ibrahim et al.	2010	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Had straight, pointed jaws not unlike those of azhdarchids
Albadraco	Solomon et al.	2020	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Romania	Has been suggested to be possibly a young specimen of Hatzegopteryx, but this was considered very unlikely[8]
Alcione	Longrich et al.	2018	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Adapted for rapid flapping due to its comparatively short wings
Allkaruen	Codorniú et al.	2016	Valid	Early Jurassic	Argentina	Its braincase shows features transitional between "rhamphorhynchoid" and pterodactyloid pterosaurs
Altmuehlopterus	Vidovic & Martill	2017	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Formerly believed to belong to Germanodactylus
Amblydectes	Hooley	1914	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Has been synonymized with four other pterosaur genera throughout history
Angustinaripterus	He et al.	1983	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Its Dorygnathus-like teeth suggest it was piscivorous
Anhanguera	Campos & Kellner	1985	Valid	Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous	Brazil Morocco	One study helped resolve controversy on the posture of this genus and other pterosaurs while on land[9]
Anurognathus	Döderlein	1923	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	An insectivore noted for its short skull and pin-like teeth
Apatomerus	Williston	1903	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Probably a misidentified plesiosaur
Apatorhamphus	McPhee et al.	2020	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Known from fragmentary material, which makes its exact taxonomic affinities to other pterosaurs uncertain
Aralazhdarcho	Averianov	2007	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Kazakhstan	May be closely related to Phosphatodraco
Arambourgiania	Nessov	1989	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Jordan Morocco? United States?	Had very long neck vertebrae, making the neck itself longer than that of giraffes
Araripedactylus	Wellnhofer	1977	Dubious?	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Regarded as a probable nomen dubium due to the fragmentary nature of the type specimen[10]
Araripesaurus	Price	1971	Dubious?	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Suggested to be possibly dubious as its purported diagnostic features are widespread among pterodactyloids[10]
Archaeoistiodactylus	Lü & Fucha	2010	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Possessed relatively short metacarpals
Arcticodactylus	Kellner	2015	Valid	Late Triassic	Greenland	Originally described as a species of Eudimorphodon, but it has been found to be distinct enough from the latter to receive its own genus
Ardeadactylus	Bennett	2013	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Bore fewer, larger teeth than the contemporary Pterodactylus, suggesting it may have potentially hunted larger fish than the latter
Argentinadraco	Kellner & Calvo	2017	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Argentina	Unusually, it had an elaborate combination of ridges and depressions at the top surface of the lower jaw
Arthurdactylus	Frey & Martill	1994	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Named after Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the 1912 novel The Lost World, which features large reptilian pterosaurs
Aurorazhdarcho	Frey, Meyer & Tischlinger	2011	Disputed	Late Jurassic	Germany	Potentially a junior synonym of Gnathosaurus[11]
Aussiedraco	Kellner, Rodrigues & Costa	2011	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Australia	Solely known from an incomplete mandibular symphysis
Austriadactylus	Dalla Vecchia et al.	2002	Valid	Late Triassic	Austria	Carried a widened bony crest along the midline of the snout
Austriadraco	Kellner	2015	Valid	Late Triassic	Austria	The fused frontals were initially misidentified as a breast bone
Avgodectes	Peters	2004	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Haopterus
Aymberedactylus	Pêgas et al.	2016	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Potentially had a horned sheath above the tip of the jaw, a trait also seen in the coeval Tupandactylus
Azhdarcho	Nesov	1984	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Kazakhstan Tajikistan? Uzbekistan	The namesake of the Azhdarchidae, a family of pterosaurs characterized by their long necks and limbs
Bakiribu[12]	Pêgas et al.	2025	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Possessed numerous interlocking comb-like teeth in its jaws that were probably used for filter-feeding, similarly to the Argentinian Pterodaustro
Bakonydraco	Ősi, Weishampel & Jianu	2005	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Hungary	Has been variously interpreted as an azhdarchid, a tapejarid, or an azhdarchoid outside those groups
Balaenognathus[13]	Martill et al.	2023	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Would have not been able to fully close its mouth due to the relatively strong curvature of the upper jaw
Banguela	Headden & Campos	2015	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Originally described as an unusually edentulous dsungaripterid,[14] then suggested to be a potential species of Thalassodromeus,[15] and finally interpreted as a valid taxon, likely a chaoyangopterid[16]
Barbaridactylus	Longrich et al.	2018	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Its femur is similar in morphology to that of Pteranodon. One of the latest-surving pterosaurs
Barbosania	Elgin & Frey	2011	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Some pterosaur specimens formerly referred to Brasileodactylus may actually belong to this genus
Batrachognathus	Ryabinin	1948	Valid	Late Jurassic	Kazakhstan	Discovered in sediments somewhat similar to those found in the Solnhofen Limestone in Germany
Beipiaopterus	Lü	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	A 2005 analysis shows that its preserved wing membrane contained multiple blood vessels, likely an adaptation to thermoregulation[17]
Bellubrunnus	Hone et al.	2012	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Distinguished from other pterosaurs by having wingtips that were uniquely swept forwards
Belonochasma	Broili	1939	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Subsequently found to be a reptile of uncertain affinities
Bennettazhia	Nessov	1991	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United States	Initially identified as a species of the unrelated Pteranodon
Bergamodactylus	Kellner	2015	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Carniadactylus
Bogolubovia	Nessov & Yarkov	1989	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Russia	Has been regarded as a dubious name possibly synonymous with Volgadraco, but its validity was reaffirmed based on more recently discovered fossil material[18]
Boreopterus	Lü & Ji	2005	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Had quite large teeth
Brachytrachelus	Giebel	1850	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied name; now known as Scaphognathus
Brasileodactylus	Kellner	1984	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Had an elongated snout bearing cone-shaped teeth
Cacibupteryx	Gasparini, Fernández & de la Fuente	2004	Valid	Late Jurassic	Cuba	Distinguished by the presence of a broad skull roof
Caelestiventus	Britt et al.	2018	Valid	Late Triassic	United States	One of the largest pterosaurs from the Triassic period
Caiuajara	Manzig et al.	2014	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Various remains from individuals of different ages are known, which indicates it may have had a gregarious lifestyle
Camposipterus	Rodrigues & Kellner	2013	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Its snout is rounded when viewed from the side
Campylognathoides	Strand	1928	Valid	Early Jurassic	Germany India?	Stomach contents of one individual indicate a diet of cephalopods for this taxon
Campylognathus	Plieninger	1894	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied name; now known as Campylognathoides
Carniadactylus	Dalla Vecchia	2009	Valid	Late Triassic	Italy	Considerably smaller than Eudimorphodon, which suggests they occupied different ecological niches
Cascocauda[19]	Yang et al.	2022	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	A few of its preserved pycnofibres bear some similarities to the feathers of maniraptoran dinosaurs, implying some form of close relationship between them
Cathayopterus	Wang & Zhou	2006	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Based on a partial skull damaged on the left side
Caulkicephalus	Steel et al.	2005	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	May have possessed a backwards-pointing crest in its head
Caupedactylus	Kellner	2013	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Carried a quite thin crest along the midline of the skull
Caviramus	Fröbisch & Fröbisch	2006	Valid	Late Triassic	Switzerland	Its discovery implies a higher diversity of early pterosaurs than previously thought
Cearadactylus	Leonardi & Borgomanero	1985	Valid?	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Has been suggested to be a synonym of Brasileodactylus[20][21]
Ceoptera[22]	Martin-Silverstone et al.	2024	Valid	Middle Jurassic	United Kingdom ( Scotland)	Lived in a low-salinity lagoon habitat containing wet and dry seasons
Changchengopterus	Lü	2009	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Known from two skeletons belonging to different ontogenetic stages
Chaoyangopterus	Wang & Zhou	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Originally referred by its authors to the Nyctosauridae, but this was not supported by later studies
Cimoliopterus	Rodrigues & Kellner	2013	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England) United States	Its fossils were mostly found in marine deposits, indicating an adaptation to long-distance oceanic soaring
Cimoliornis	Owen	1846	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Originally mistaken for a giant albatross-like bird
Coloborhynchus	Owen	1874	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Has had a convoluted history of classification
Comodactylus	Galton	1981	Dubious	Late Jurassic	United States	The first non-pterodactyloid pterosaur discovered in North America
Cratonopterus[23]	Jiang et al.	2023	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	One trait of its first wing phalanx is otherwise only seen in ornithocheiroids
Cretornis	Frič	1881	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Czech Republic	The distal part of its humerus is diamond-shaped in cross-section
Criorhynchus	Owen	1874	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Ornithocheirus
Cryodrakon	Hone et al.	2019	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Canada	The northernmost pterosaur known from North America. Similar to Quetzalcoatlus
Ctenochasma	Meyer	1851	Valid	Late Jurassic	France Germany	Had exactly 260 thin, comb-like teeth in its mouth
Cuspicephalus	Martill & Etches	2013	Valid	Late Jurassic	United Kingdom ( England)	Differentiated from other wukongopterids by its longer head, higher tooth count, and larger body size
Cycnorhamphus	Seeley	1870	Valid	Late Jurassic	France Germany	The unusual anatomy of its jaws possibly suggests a lifestyle similar to extant openbill storks
"Daitingopterus"	Maisch et al.	2004	Nomen nudum	N/A	N/A	Referred to Altmuehlopterus
Daohugoupterus	Cheng et al.	2015	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	The smallest pterosaur of the Yanliao Biota
Darwinopterus	Lü et al.	2010	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Has been described as an intermediate form between basal pterosaurs and pterodactyloids
Dawndraco	Kellner	2010	Disputed	Late Cretaceous	United States	A possible junior synonym of either Geosternbergia or Pteranodon
Dearc[24]	Jagielska et al.	2022	Valid	Middle Jurassic	United Kingdom ( Scotland)	Its discovery refutes the assumption that pterosaurs did not attain larger body sizes until the appearance of the pterodactyloid lineages of the Cretaceous
Dendrorhynchoides	Ji, Ji & Padian	1999	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Bore an elongate, massively built humerus
Dendrorhynchus	Ji & Ji	1998	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied name; now known as Dendrorhynchoides
Dermodactylus	Marsh	1881	Dubious	Late Jurassic	United States	Based solely on a partial metacarpal
Dimorphodon	Owen	1859	Valid	Early Jurassic	United Kingdom ( England)	Possessed two different types of teeth, hence its name
Diopecephalus	Seeley	1871	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Has been synonymized with the coeval Pterodactylus
Dolicorhamphus	Seeley	1885	Valid	Middle Jurassic	United Kingdom ( England)	A close relative of Klobiodon
Domeykodactylus	Martill et al.	2000	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Chile	Shares traits with both dsungaripterids and ctenochasmatids, but it is often recovered as a member of the former group
Doratorhynchus	Seeley	1875	Nomen vanum	Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Definitively known from only an undiagnostic wing phalanx
Dorygnathus	Wagner	1860	Valid	Early Jurassic	France Germany	May be piscivorous based on its heterodonty and preserved gut contents
Douzhanopterus	Wang et al.	2017	Valid	Late Jurassic	China	Phylogenetically placed between the Wukongopteridae and Propterodactylus
Draigwenia[25]	Holgado	2021	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Initially assigned to Ornithocheirus
Dsungaripterus	Young	1964	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China South Korea?	Characterized by the upward-curving beak lacking teeth at the front
Elanodactylus	Andres & Ji	2008	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Its cervical vertebrae resemble those of azhdarchids
Eoazhdarcho	Lü & Ji	2005	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Had metacarpals much longer in comparison to the neck vertebrae and hindlimb bones
Eopteranodon	Lü & Zhang	2005	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Possibly a close relative of Sinopterus
Eosipterus	Ji & Ji	1997	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Possessed long, robust wings
Eotephradactylus[26]	Kligman et al.	2025	Valid	Late Triassic	United States	The oldest pterosaur from North America
Epapatelo[27]	Fernandes et al.	2022	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Angola	Known from partial left limb bones, all preserved three-dimensionally
Eudimorphodon	Zambelli	1973	Valid	Late Triassic	Italy	Multiple specimens have been attributed to this genus, but some were later reclassified as their own taxa
Eurazhdarcho	Vremir et al.	2013	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Romania	Distinguished by certain traits found in the neck vertebrae
Eurolimnornis	Kessler & Jurcsák	1986	Dubious	Early Cretaceous	Romania	Formerly described as a bird, although it had been subsequently reinterpreted as a pterosaur[28]
Europejara	Vullo et al.	2012	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Spain	Represents the first tapejarid described from Europe
Faxinalipterus	Bonaparte et al.	2010	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Originally believed to be a pterosaur, but it has since been reinterpreted as a non-pterosaurian ornithodiran, possibly a lagerpetid[29]
Feilongus	Wang et al.	2005	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Distinguished by having a notably pronounced overbite
Fenghuangopterus	Lü, Fucha & Chen	2010	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Known from a mostly complete but crushed skeleton
Ferrodraco	Pentland et al.	2019	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Australia	Discovered by a cattle farmer while spraying herbicide
Forfexopterus	Jiang et al.	2016	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Unusually for a ctenochasmatid, the tip of the snout was not spatula-shaped and had more curved teeth
Galgadraco[30]	Giaretta et al.	2025	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Brazil	Closely related to Albadraco from Europe
Gallodactylus	Fabre	1974	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Cycnorhamphus
Garudapterus[31]	Manitkoon et al.	2025	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Thailand	The first pterosaur recovered from Southeast Asia and the youngest named gnathosaurine
Gegepterus	Wang et al.	2007	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Two specimens have been identified to date
Geosternbergia	Miller	1978	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Pteranodon, specifically P. sternbergi
Germanodactylus	Yang	1964	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Had a distinctive head crest
Gladocephaloideus	Lü	2012	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	The holotype fossil was previously believed to represent an adult, although the discovery of the second individual indicates it actually belonged to an immature animal[32]
Gnathosaurus	Meyer	1833	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany United Kingdom ( England)	Originally mistakenly believed to be a marine crocodylomorph
Gobiazhdarcho[33]	Pêgas, Zhou & Kobayashi	2025	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Mongolia	One of the few pterosaurs formally named from Mongolia
Guidraco	Wang et al.	2012	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Noted for its forward-curving crest on an angled skull roof
Gwawinapterus	Arbour & Currie	2011	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Initially thought to be an istiodactylid pterosaur, but it was reinterpreted as an indeterminate saurodontid fish one year later[34]
Haliskia[35]	Pentland et al.	2024	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Australia	The most completely known Australian pterosaur
Hamipterus	Wang et al.	2014	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Known to have had sexual dimorphism, with males bearing larger snout crests and body sizes than females. Fossilized eggs have also been attributed to this taxon, suggesting some form of parental care
Haopterus	Wang & Lü	2001	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	The first Chinese pterosaur from which the skull is known
Harpactognathus	Carpenter et al.	2003	Valid	Late Jurassic	United States	Had a premaxillary crest on the midline of the skull that may have been expanded by soft tissues
Hatzegopteryx	Buffetaut et al.	2002	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Romania	One of the largest known pterosaurs. Possessed unusually robust body proportions
Herbstosaurus	Casamiquela	1975	Valid	Late Jurassic	Argentina	Originally erroneously interpreted as a dinosaur
Hongshanopterus	Wang et al.	2008	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Can be distinguished by some backward-facing teeth
Huanhepterus	Dong	1982	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	The right half of the only known skeleton was obliterated by an explosion that occurred at the quarry where it was found
Huaxiadraco[36]	Pêgas et al.	2023	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	The third tapejarid validly named from the Jehol Biota
Huaxiapterus	Lü & Yuan	2005	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Sinopterus
Iberodactylus	Holgado et al.	2019	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Spain	One of the most complete pterosaurs from the Iberian peninsula. Closely related to Hamipterus
Ikrandraco	Wang et al.	2020	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China United Kingdom ( England)	Known for the unique crest in its lower jaw
Inabtanin[37]	Rosenbach et al.	2024	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Jordan	Suggested to have flapped its wings during flight, in contrast to the soaring capabilities deduced for the larger Arambourgiania
Infernodrakon[38]	Thomas et al.	2025	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Based on a single vertebra once believed to belong to a potential specimen of Quetzalcoatlus
Ingridia	Unwin & Martill	2007	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Objective junior synonym of Tupandactylus
Istiodactylus	Howse, Milner & Martill	2001	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China? United Kingdom ( England)	Its skull combines a blunt, low snout and quite large naso-antorbital fenestrae
Javelinadactylus	Campos	2021	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Wellnhopterus. Although named a few months earlier, its description was retracted over allegations that the describer did not have access to its holotype.[39]
Jeholopterus	Wang et al.	2002	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China North Korea?	Known from a crushed specimen with preserved carbonized skin fibres and pycnofibres
Jianchangnathus	Cheng et al.	2012	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Shares a number of features with Scaphognathus
Jianchangopterus	Lü & Bo	2011	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Similar to Sordes
Jidapterus	Dong, Sun & Wu	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Had extremely small eye sockets
Kariridraco[40]	Cerqueira et al.	2021	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	The holotype skull was falsified by workers who glued it to the snout of another pterosaur that did not belong to this genus
Kepodactylus	Harris & Carpenter	1996	Valid	Late Jurassic	United States	Discovered alongside the remains of Stegosaurus
Keresdrakon	Kellner et al.	2019	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Has been found in direct association with fossils of Caiuajara, representing the first known evidence of sympatry among pterosaurs. May have filled the role of opportunistic predator in its environment
Klobiodon	O'Sullivan & Martill	2018	Valid	Middle Jurassic	United Kingdom ( England)	Distinguishable by the gradual curve at the front of its lower jaw
Kryptodrakon	Andres, Clark & Xu	2014	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	The oldest and earliest-diverging pterodactyloid ever identified
Kunpengopterus	Wang et al.	2010	Valid	Middle Jurassic? to Late Jurassic	China	The species K. antipollicatus is noted for its unusual opposable thumb
Lacusovagus	Witton	2008	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	The largest pterosaur from the Crato Formation. May be a chaoyangopterid
Laopteryx	Marsh	1881	Dubious	Late Jurassic	United States	Initially thought to be a relative of Archaeopteryx
Leptostomia[41]	Smith et al.	2021	Valid	Early Cretaceous? to Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Likely a probe-feeder based on its beak anatomy and environment
Liaodactylus	Zhou et al.	2017	Valid	Late Jurassic	China	Older and less specialized than other ctenochasmatids
Liaoningopterus	Wang & Zhou	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	The fourth tooth of the upper jaw is the longest of any known pterosaur. Sometimes misspelled as "Liaoningopteryx"
Liaoxipterus	Dong & Lü	2005	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Might be an insectivore capable of protruding its tongue based on the anatomy of its hyoid and teeth
Limnornis	Kessler & Jurcsák	1984	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Originally described as a bird; fossils later renamed Palaeocursornis
Lingyuanopterus[42]	Xu et al.	2022	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Certain features of the only known skull indicate a scavenging lifestyle for the taxon
Linlongopterus	Rodrigues et al.	2015	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	May have not been fully grown due to poor fusion of the bones during preservation
"Lithosteornis"	Gervais	1844	Nomen nudum	N/A	N/A	Referred to Ornithocheirus
Lonchodectes	Hooley	1914	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Bore long, vertically compressed jaws with numerous short teeth
Lonchodraco	Rodrigues & Kellner	2013	Valid	Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Remains previously referred to Pterodactylus and Lonchodectes
Lonchognathosaurus	Maisch, Matzke & Sun	2004	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China Russia?	Had only eight teeth in its maxillae
Longchengpterus	Wang et al.	2006	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Shares similarities to Istiodactylus despite the absence of a broad snout
Luchibang	Hone et al.	2020	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Recently found to be a chimera where only the front part of the snout can confidently be referred to the genus, while the postcranial remains probably belong to an indeterminate azhdarchomorph[43]
Ludodactylus	Frey et al.	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Had a head crest convergently similar to that of male Pteranodon
Luopterus	Hone	2020	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	Remains originally identified as Dendrorhynchoides
Lusognathus[44]	Fernandes et al.	2023	Valid	Late Jurassic	Portugal	A rounded triangular expansion is present at the front of the premaxilla
Maaradactylus	Bantim et al.	2014	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Possessed one of the largest skulls among the anhanguerids of the Santana Group
Macrotrachelus	Giebel	1852	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Pterodactylus
Makrodactylus[45]	Hone et al.	2025	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Smaller than other known early members of the Monofenestrata
Meilifeilong[46]	Wang et al.	2023	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	The most complete chaoyangopterid known to date
Melkamter[47]	Fernandes, Pol & Rauhut	2024	Valid	Early Jurassic	Argentina	Represents the oldest monofenestratan and fourth Jurassic pterosaur from South America
Mesadactylus	Jensen & Padian	1989	Valid	Late Jurassic	United States	Originally believed to be a bird on account of its fused sacral vertebrae
Microtuban	Elgin & Frey	2011	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Lebanon	Based on a juvenile skeleton with broken bones, either from a collision or an attack by a predator
Mimodactylus	Kellner et al.	2019	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Lebanon	The first completely known Afro-Arabian pterosaur. Had a robustly built snout with conical teeth restricted to the front of the jaws
Mistralazhdarcho	Vullo et al.	2018	Valid	Late Cretaceous	France	Closely related to the South American Aerotitan
Moganopterus	Lü et al.	2012	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Had the longest skull of any toothed pterosaur
Montanazhdarcho	Padian, de Ricqlès & Horner	1995	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Known from an uncompressed fossil belonging to an adult
Muzquizopteryx	Frey et al.	2006	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Mexico	The holotype fossil had been used as a decorative piece of an office wall
Mythunga	Molnar & Thulborn	2008	Dubious?	Early Cretaceous	Australia	Has been regarded as an indeterminate tropeognathine[20]
Navajodactylus	Sullivan & Fowler	2011	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Tentatively assigned by its original describers to the Azhdarchidae, but it lacks the extensive pneumacity seen in members of that family
Nemicolopterus	Wang et al.	2008	Dubious	Early Cretaceous	China	Described as the smallest known adult pterosaur, but may in fact be an early growth stage of Sinopterus[48]
Nesodactylus	Colbert	1969	Valid	Late Jurassic	Cuba	Mostly similar to Rhamphorhynchus albeit with longer wings and bulkier limbs
Nesodon	Jensen & Ostrom	1977	Lapsus calami	N/A	N/A	Misspelling of Nesodactylus, also preoccupied by a toxodont
Nicorhynchus	Holgado & Pêgas	2020	Valid?	Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous	Morocco United Kingdom ( England)	Has been hypothesized to be synonymous with Coloborhynchus, the genus both named species were originally assigned to[49]
Ningchengopterus	Lü	2009	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Known from a nearly complete hatchling containing preserved soft tissues
Nipponopterus[50]	Zhou et al.	2025	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Japan	Morphologically similar to the slightly older Gobiazhdarcho although it did not belong to a more mature individual
Noripterus	Young	1973	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China Mongolia	Can be differentiated from its contemporary Dsungaripterus by the lightly built skull and more slender teeth
Normannognathus	Buffetaut, LePage & LePage	1998	Valid	Late Jurassic	France	Has been recovered in a variety of phylogenetic positions within the Monofenestrata
Nurhachius	Wang et al.	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Possibly paraphyletic as N. luei was found to be closer to Hongshanopterus than to N. ignaciobritoi, the type species[43]
Nyctodactylus	Marsh	1881	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Nyctosaurus
Nyctosaurus	Marsh	1876	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	At least one species is noted for its extremely large, antler-like head crest
Odontorhynchus	Stolley	1936	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Rhamphorhynchus
"Oolithorhynchus"	Whalley	2000	Nomen nudum	N/A	N/A	A manuscript name about which almost nothing is known
Ordosipterus	Ji	2020	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Its teeth possessed a moderate bulge, but lacked the extreme outgrowth useful for cracking shells
Orientognathus	Lü et al.	2015	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	A basal member of the Rhamphorhynchidae
Ornithocephalus	Sömmering	1812	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Pterodactylus
Ornithocheirus	Seeley	1869	Valid	Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous?	Morocco? United Kingdom ( England)	Several species had been attributed to this genus in the past. However, some of these species were subsequently deemed dubious or reassigned to new genera
Ornithodesmus	Seeley	1887	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Subsequently found to be a dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur
Ornithopterus	Meyer	1838	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Rhamphorhynchus
Ornithostoma	Seeley	1871	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Once believed to be a synonym of Pteranodon
"Osteornis"	Gervais	1844	Nomen nudum	N/A	N/A	A nomen ex dissertationae for pterosaur remains later named "Palaeornis" and Cimoliornis
Otogopterus	Ji & Zhang	2020	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	May have lived near braided rivers
Pachagnathus[51]	Martínez et al.	2022	Valid	Late Triassic	Argentina	One of the few Triassic pterosaurs hypothesized to have lived in continental environments
Pachyrhamphus	Fitzinger	1843	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied name; now known as Scaphognathus
Palaeocursornis	Kessler & Jurcsák	1986	Dubious	Early Cretaceous	Romania	Possibly synonymous with Eurolimnornis
"Palaeornis"	Mantell	1844	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied name
Pangupterus	Lü et al.	2016	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Named based on an almost complete lower jaw
Paranurognathus	Peters	2005	Jr. snyonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Anurognathus
Parapsicephalus	Arthaber	1919	Valid	Early Jurassic	United Kingdom ( England)	The top surface of the skull is convex, a feature shared only with the Dimorphodontia
Peteinosaurus	Wild	1978	Valid	Late Triassic	Italy	One of the smallest and earliest pterosaurs
Petrodactyle[52]	Hone et al.	2023	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Large for a Jurassic pterosaur. Possibly a gallodactylid
Phobetor	Bakhurina	1986	Jr. snyonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Noripterus[53]
Phosphatodraco	Pereda-Suberbiola et al.	2003	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	One of the only azhdarchids known to have preserved a mostly complete neck
Piksi	Varricchio	2002	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Formerly erroneously thought to be a bird
Plataleorhynchus	Howse & Milner	1995	Valid	Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Named for the similarity between its snout and the beak of a spoonbill
Prejanopterus	Vidarte & Calvo	2010	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Spain	Can be differentiated by the possession of a bent snout and straight lower jaws
Preondactylus	Wild	1984	Valid	Late Triassic	Italy	Was capable of fully developed flight despite having short wings typical of basal pterosaurs
"Pricesaurus"	Martins-Neto	1986	Nomen nudum	N/A	N/A	Referred to Anhanguera
Propterodactylus[54]	Spindler	2024	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Before its formal description, it had been nicknamed the "Painten pro-pterodactyloid"
Ptenodactylus	Seeley	1869	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied name
Ptenodracon	Lydekker	1888	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Pterodactylus
Pteranodon	Marsh	1876	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Known from abundant fossil specimens, making it the most well represented pterosaur yet identified. Two species are recognized, each with a unique head crest shape
Ptéro-Dactyle	Cuvier	1809	Invalid	N/A	N/A	Renamed Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus	Cuvier	1809	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	The first valid pterosaur genus named and described
Pterodaustro	Bonaparte	1970	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Argentina	Noted for having multiple bristle-like teeth in its lower jaw, indicating an adaptation to filter-feeding
Pterofiltrus	Jiang & Wang	2011	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Had an exceptionally elongate head. Closely related to Gladocephaloideus
Pteromonodactylus	Teryaev	1967	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Rhamphorhynchus
Pterorhynchus	Czerkas & Ji	2002	Valid	Middle Jurassic	China	Uniquely, it had a head crest with both a bony base and keratinous expansion
Pterotherium	Fischer	1813	Jr. synonym	N/A	N/A	Junior synonym of Pterodactylus
Puntanipterus	Bonaparte & Sánchez	1975	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Argentina	Had been considered a probable synonym of Pterodaustro although it was later reinterpreted as a dsungaripterid
Qinglongopterus	Lü et al.	2012	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	Similar to Rhamphorhynchus but with a smaller skull and shorter wings
Quetzalcoatlus	Lawson	1975	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	One of the largest and last known pterosaurs
Radiodactylus	Andres & Myers	2013	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United States	Closely allied to the azhdarchids
Raeticodactylus	Stecher	2008	Valid	Late Triassic	Switzerland	Has been suggested to be a potential junior synonym of the coeval Caviramus
Rhabdopelix	Cope	1870	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	At first thought to be a Triassic pterosaur, but is now known to be, at least in part, a kuehneosaurid
Rhamphinion	Padian	1984	Valid	Early Jurassic	United States	Fragmentary remains from somewhat younger deposits in the United Kingdom have been found to actually belong to a rhamphorhynchid
Rhamphocephalus	Seeley	1880	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Later reassigned to the Thalattosuchia[55]
Rhamphorhynchus	Meyer	1846	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany Portugal? Spain? Tanzania? United Kingdom ( England)	Multiple specimens are known, some even preserving soft tissue remains
Samrukia	Naish et al.	2012	Valid?	Late Cretaceous	Kazakhstan	Known from a single lower jaw once believed to have come from a bird. Potentially synonymous with Aralazhdarcho
Santanadactylus	De Buisonjé	1980	Dubious?	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Might have been a quite large pterosaur
Saratovia[56]	Averianov	2025	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Russia	One of the latest-surviving toothed pterosaurs
Scaphognathus	Wagner	1861	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Hypothesized to have had diurnal habits, in contrast to contemporaneous pterosaurs which were inferred to be nocturnal
Seazzadactylus	Dalla Vecchia	2019	Valid	Late Triassic	Italy	Had an exclamation mark-shaped pteroid bone
Sericipterus	Andres et al.	2010	Valid	Late Jurassic	China	Closely related to Angustinaripterus
Serradraco	Rigal et al.	2018	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Initially considered a possible lonchodectid by its describers, although it was later found to not belong to that group[57]
Shenzhoupterus	Lü et al.	2008	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	One species previously assigned to this genus[58] has since been found to belong to Meilifeilong[46]
Simurghia	Longrich et al.	2018	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Brazil? Morocco	Similar to Alcione though it is not represented by an adult
Sinomacrops[59]	Wei et al.	2021	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	Lacks most bone tissue fragments due to their fragile condition
Sinopterus	Wang & Zhou	2003	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	May be herbivorous as suggested by preserved stomach contents
Siroccopteryx	Mader & Kellner	1999	Valid?	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Some researchers have considered it a junior synonym of Coloborhynchus
Skiphosoura[60]	Hone et al.	2024	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Transitional between more basal pterosaurs and the more derived pterodactyloids
Sordes	Sharov	1971	Valid	Late Jurassic	Kazakhstan	Had a very elongated tail, making up over half of its total body length
Spathagnathus[61]	Fernandes et al.	2025	Valid	Late Jurassic	Germany	Its unique dentition suggests it may have been durophagous
Sultanuvaisia	Nessov	1981	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Actually a fish
Tacuadactylus[62]	Soto et al.	2021	Valid	Late Jurassic	Uruguay	The holotype snout was originally misinterpreted as belonging to a sawfish
Tapejara	Kellner	1989	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Characterized by a semicircular head crest and a bony extension at the back of the skull
Targaryendraco	Pêgas et al.	2019	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Germany	Once thought to belong to a species of Ornithocheirus
Tendaguripterus	Unwin & Heinrich	1999	Valid	Late Jurassic	Tanzania	The first pterosaur recovered from the Tendaguru Formation. Inconsistent in phylogenetic placement
Tethydraco	Longrich et al.	2018	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Has been suggested to be potentially synonymous with Phosphatodraco
Thalassodromeus	Kellner & Campos	2002	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Carried a proportionately large crest in its head which has been implied to be used in thermoregulation and display
Thanatosdrakon[63]	Ortiz David et al.	2022	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Argentina	May be the largest known pterosaur from the Southern Hemisphere
Thapunngaka[64]	Richards et al.	2021	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Australia	Its mandible resembles that of Anhanguera piscator
Titanopteryx	Arambourg	1959	Preoccupied	N/A	N/A	Preoccupied by a simuliid blackfly; later renamed Arambourgiania
Torukjara[65]	Pêgas	2024	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Remains previously assigned to Caiuajara
Tribelesodon	Bassani	1886	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	Once believed to be an early pterosaur, but it has been found to be a misinterpreted specimen of the archosauromorph Tanystropheus
Tropeognathus	Wellnhofer	1987	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Had one of the largest wingspans of any pterosaur
Tsogtopteryx[33]	Pêgas, Zhou & Kobayashi	2025	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Mongolia	Unusually small among azhdarchids despite being fully grown
Tupandactylus	Kellner & Campos	2007	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	One specimen of T. imperator preserves evidence of melanosomes similar in structure to birds and Stage IIIa feathers[66]
Tupuxuara	Kellner & Campos	1988	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Two species are known, distinguished from each other by their crest morphology
Uktenadactylus	Rodrigues & Kellner	2009	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England) United States	The type species was originally referred to Coloborhynchus
Unwindia	Martill	2011	Valid	Early Cretaceous	Brazil	Its snout is triangular in cross-section
Utahdactylus	Czerkas & Mickelson	2002	Valid	Late Jurassic	United States	Has been suggested to be non-pterosaurian
Vectidraco	Naish et al.	2013	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Its damaged ilium exhibits internal air chambers
Vesperopterylus	Lü et al.	2017	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Distinguishable by the presence of a reversed first toe, an adaptation to gripping on tree branches
Volgadraco	Averianov et al.	2008	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Russia	Originally described as an azhdarchid although it was recovered within the Pteranodontia by later research
Wellnhopterus[67]	Andres & Langston Jr.	2021	Valid	Late Cretaceous	United States	Characterized by a blunt snout and bulky, short neck, likely indicating a raptorial way of hunting its prey
Wenupteryx	Codorniú & Gasparini	2013	Valid	Late Jurassic	Argentina	Closely related to the archaeopterodactyloids
Wightia	Martill et al.	2020	Valid	Early Cretaceous	United Kingdom ( England)	Known only from a pair of slightly eroded partial premaxillae
Wukongopterus	Wang et al.	2009	Valid	Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic	China	Possessed both an elongated neck and a long tail
"Wyomingopteryx"	Bakker	1994	Nomen nudum	N/A	N/A	Possibly intended to be coined for a pterosaur specimen similar to Istiodactylus
Xericeps	Martill et al.	2018	Valid	Late Cretaceous	Morocco	Had a noticeably upturned, forceps-like jaw
Yelaphomte[51]	Martínez et al.	2022	Valid	Late Triassic	Argentina	Bore a narrow bony crest similar to that of Raeticodactylus and Austriadactylus
Yixianopterus	Lü et al.	2006	Valid	Early Cretaceous	China	Named based on a single fragmentary individual
Zhejiangopterus	Cai & Wei	1994	Valid	Late Cretaceous	China	Its first six dorsal vertebrae were fused into a notarium
Zhenyuanopterus	Lü	2010	Valid?	Early Cretaceous	China	May be the adult form of Boreopterus

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Ichnogenera

More information Genus, Authors ...

Genus	Authors	Year	Status	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Agadirichnus	Ambroggi Lapparent	1954	Valid	uK	Africa
Haenamichnus[68]	Hwang Huh et al.	2002	Valid	uK[68]	Asia.[68]	More than 5 times as large as Pteraichnus, these tracks were probably made by azhdarchids.[68]
Kouphichnium	Nopcsa	1923	Misidentification	N/A	N/A	The trackmaker was probably a limulid.
Pteraichnus	Stokes	1957	Valid	uJ	Asia[69] Europe N. America	Some tracks attributed to Pteraichnus have been considered crocodilian in origin by some scientists (Padian, 1984) however, recent studies in the past decade have overturned Padian's thoughts.
Purbeckopus	Delair	1963	Nomen dubium	lK	Europe.

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Oogenera

Although pterosaur eggs are known, some with complete embryos, no oogenera have been erected to house them. The holotype of the oospecies Oolithes sphaericus was briefly considered by Harry Govier Seeley to be pterosaurian in origin, although this attribution was dismissed before the formal erection of that oogenus.