Archaeopterodactyloidea is a group of pterosaurs that lived from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. They lived in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. It was named by Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner in 1996.
The earliest known fossil remains date back to the Late Jurassic. Originally a jaw bone from England was thought to be the oldest known fossil of a member of the Ctenochasmatidae. But recent analysis suggests it could have been a teleosaurid instead.
Anatomy[]
Pterodaustro was unique among this family as it had bristles as teeth. It may have used them to filter feed on mollusks and crustaceans.
Behavior and Ecology[]
Most members of this group have wing spans like those of shorebirds and ducks. Ctenochasma was a lot smaller and may have had a wingspan like that of an auk instead.
Classification[]
The largest subgroup in the clade is the Euctenochasmatia. Another subgroup is the Ctenochasmatoidea. Both of these groups were named in 2003.