Chaoyangopteridae

Chaoyangopteridae is a clade of medium to large azhdarchoid pterosaurs that lived during the Early Cretaceous. The group is named after Chaoyang, Liaoning, China, where early material was found. Members are characterized by elongated skulls and jaws, a generally lightweight, long-necked frame, and wings suited to powerful powered flight. In many taxa, dentition is reduced or absent, a trait common to azhdarchoids, though some members show small teeth in the rostral jaws.

Geological and geographic range: Fossils attributed to Chaoyangopteridae have been reported primarily from East Asia, especially China’s Jiufotang and related formations dating to the Aptian to Albian stages. The record is limited and the identification of material to the family level can be contentious.

Phylogeny: Chaoyangopteridae is treated as an early-branching azhdarchoid, sometimes placed as a sister group to the later azhdarchids. The exact delimitation of the clade and which taxa belong to it have varied; some analyses recover chaoyangopterids as a natural group, while others split its members into different lineages or consider it paraphyletic.

Notable taxa: Chaoyangopterus is the type genus and remains the best-known member. Others assigned to the group have included various Early Cretaceous forms described from China, though the assignments are debated.