| Germanodactylids | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil specimen ofGermanodactylus cristatus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Infraorder: | †Archaeopterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Germanodactylidae Yang, 1964 |
| Type species | |
| †Pterodactylus cristatus Wiman, 1925 | |
| Subgroups | |
Germanodactylidae is a controversial group ofpterosaurs within the suborderPterodactyloidea. It was first named byYang Zhongjian in 1964, and given a formalphylogenetic definition in 2014 by Brian Andres, James Clark, and Xu Xing. They defined it as the least inclusiveclade containingGermanodactylus cristatus andNormannognathus wellnhoferi, which they considered to be close relatives at the time.[1] However, more recent studies by the same researchers have found that these pterosaurs may be only distantly related.
Studies performed in the 2000s suggested this group it contained three genera:Germanodactylus,Normannognathus andTendaguripterus. Various studies have since placed these pterosaurs within the larger cladesArchaeopterodactyloidea,[1][2][3]Eupterodactyloidea, orDsungaripteroidea,[4] though it has also been recovered within theCtenochasmatoidea.[5] In several 2010s studies, the supposed "germanodactylid" species were not necessarily found to form a natural group with each other, and even the genusGermanodactylus itself was discovered to be likelyparaphyletic, causing one of its component species to be renamedAltmuehlopterus. This would render the name Germanodactylidae synonymous with some other clade, such asEupterodactyloidea orLophocratia.[3][6]
Below is acladogram showing the results of aphylogenetic analysis presented by Longrich, Martill, and Andres, 2018.[3]
