Belongs within: Pterodactyloidea.
Contains: Azhdarchidae.
The Azhdarchoidea are a Cretaceous lineage of pterosaurs, characterised by toothless jaws, very large nasoantorbital fenestrae extending above the eye sockets, short wing fingers with truncated distal wing phalanges, and long legs. The Tapejaridae are short-beaked forms with down-turned rostra, at least some species bearing expansive sail-like crests (Witton 2013).
<==AzhdarchoideaW13
| i. s.: Palaeornis cliftii Mantell 1844 (n. d.) (see below for synonymy)RK13
|--Tapejaridae [Tapejarinae]W13
| |--Europejara olcadesorumW13
| |--TupandactylusW13
| | |--T. imperatorW13
| | `--T. navigans (Frey, Martill & Buchy 2003)W13, FMB03 [=Tapejara navigansW13]
| |--Tapejara Kellner 1989FMB03
| | |--T. imperator Campos & Kellner 1997FMB03
| | `--T. wellnhoferi Kellner 1989FMB03
| `--Sinopterus [incl. Huaxiapterus]W13
| |--‘Huaxiapterus’ benxiensisW13
| |--‘Huaxiapterus’ corollatusW13
| |--S. dongi [incl. S. gui]W13
| `--S. jii [=*Huaxiapterus jii]W13
`--NeoazhdarchiaW13
| i. s.: LonchodectidaeW13
| |--Prejanopterus curvirostraW13
| |--Unwindia trigonus Martill 2011W13
| `--Lonchodectes Hooley 1914RK13
| `--*L. compressirostris (Owen 1851) (n. d.) (see below for synonymy)RK13
|--ChaoyangopteridaeW13
| |--Chaoyangopterus zhangiW13
| |--Lacusovagus magnificensW13
| |--Eopteranodon liiW13
| |--Shenzhoupterus chaoyangensisW13
| |--Microtuban altivolansW13
| |--Jidapterus Dong et al. 2003W13, A08
| | `--J. edentusW13
| `--Eoazhdarcho Lu & Ji 2005W13, A08
| `--E. liaoxiensisW13
`--+--AzhdarchidaeW13
`--ThalassodromidaeW13
| i. s.: ‘Santanadactylus’ spixi Wellnhofer 1985W13, U03
|--Thalassodromeus Kellner & Campos 2002KC02
| `--*T. sethi Kellner & Campos 2002KC02
`--Tupuxuara Kellner & Campos 1988W13, U03
|--T. cristataFMB03
|--T. deliradamusW13
|--T. leonardii Kellner & Campos 1994K03
`--T. longicristatus Kellner & Campos 1989B93
*Lonchodectes compressirostris (Owen 1851) (n. d.) [=Pterodactylus compressirostris, Ornithocheirus compressirostris, Ornithochirus (l. c.) compressirostris, Ornthocheirus (l. c.) compressirostris]RK13
Palaeornis cliftii Mantell 1844 (n. d.) [=Ornithocheirus clifti, Ornithochirus (l. c.) clifti; incl. Pterodactylus ornis Owen 1861, Pt. sylvestris Owen 1859]RK13
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A08] Averianov, A. O. 2008. Superorder Pterosauria. In: Ivakhnenko, M. F., & E. N. Kurochkin (eds) Fossil Vertebrates of Russia and Adjacent Territories. Fossil Reptiles and Birds. Part 1 pp. 319–342. GEOS: Moscow.
[B93] Benton, M. J. 1993. Reptilia. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 681–715. Chapman & Hall: London.
[FMB03] Frey, E., D. M. Martill & M.-C. Buchy. 2003. A new species of tapejarid pterosaur with soft-tissue head crest. In: Buffetaut, E., & J.-M. Mazin (eds) Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society Special Publications 217: 65–72. The Geological Society: London.
[K03] Kellner, A. W. A. 2003. Pterosaur phylogeny and comments on the evolutionary history of the group. In: Buffetaut, E., & J.-M. Mazin (eds) Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society Special Publications 217: 105–137. The Geological Society: London.
[KC02] Kellner, A. W. A., & D. de A. Campos. 2002. The function of the cranial crest and jaws of a unique pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Science 297: 389–392.
[RK13] Rodrigues, T., & A. W. A. Kellner. 2013. Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England. ZooKeys 308: 1–112.
[U03] Unwin, D. M. 2003. On the phylogeny and evolutionary history of pterosaurs. In: Buffetaut, E., & J.-M. Mazin (eds) Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society Special Publications 217: 139–190. The Geological Society: London.
[W13] Witton, M. P. 2013. Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy. Princeton University Press: Princeton (New Jersey).