Other known specimens, including the holotype designated by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer when he named the type species Pterodactylus longicollum in 1854,[3] were lost during World War II.

[1] The original holotype, consisting of the skull, neck and anterior torso, had been found near Eichstätt in 1853 and was that year acquired for the Herzoglich Leuchtenbergische Naturalien-Kabinett by Professor Ludwig Frischmann.

[1] In 2017, a phylogenetic analysis by Steven Vidovic and David Martill found Ardeadactylus within the family Aurorazhdarchidae, sister taxon to Aurorazhdarcho.

Their cladogram is shown below:[5] Aerodactylus Huanhepterus Ardeadactylus Aurorazhdarcho Cycnorhamphus Feilongus Moganopterus Ctenochasmatidae In 2018 however, Nicholas Longrich and colleagues had recovered a different set of relationships for ctenochasmatoids.

[6] Ctenochasma Pterodaustro Beipiaopterus Gegepterus Kepodactylus Moganopterus Feilongus Ardeadactylus Elanodactylus Huanhepterus Plataleorhynchus Gnathosaurus