'' Wukongopterids are characterized by a unique combination of "primitive" and advanced pterosaurian features. While they had long tails and other features characteristic of other "
rhamphorhynchoids", they also had distinct
pterodactyloid features, such as long vertebrae in the neck and a single skull opening in front of the eyes, the nasoantorbital fenestra (in most "rhamphorhynchoids", the antorbital fenestra and the nasal opening are separate). This feature lead to
Darwinopterus modularis being placed by Lü e.a. in a new
clade of pterosaurs, the
Monofenestrata, or "with a single opening", forming this group together with the true
Pterodactyloidea, to the exclusion of the
Rhamphorhynchidae and other more primitive pterosaurs which had separate nasal and antorbital fenestrae. However, according to Wang e.a. it is equally possible that the Wukongopteridae formed a more basal group, below the Rhamphorhynchidae. == References ==