Noun
a reptile genus of Pterodactylidae
Source: WordNetAdditionally, a number of species assigned to Pterodactylus are based on poor remains that have proven difficult to assign to one species or another, and are therefore considered nomina dubia ("doubtful names"). Source: Internet
Historically, this has led to various growth stages (including growth stages of related pterosaurs) being mistaken for new species of Pterodactylus. Source: Internet
Hermann's original life restoration, the first of any pterosaur, 1800 It was the German/French scientist Johann Hermann who first stated that Pterodactylus used its long fourth finger to support a wing membrane. Source: Internet
In the first half of the nineteenth century any new pterosaur species would be named Pterodactylus, which thus became a typical " waste-basket taxon ". Source: Internet
In 1829 William Buckland described it as Pterodactylus macronyx (later renamed Dimorphodon macronyx by Richard Owen), and unlike many other such occasions, Buckland credited Anning with the discovery in his paper. Source: Internet
Fully mature Pterodactylus specimens remain unknown, or may have been mistakenly classified as a different genus. Source: Internet