UvA M 4895, consisting of two cervical vertebrae from a different individual, was assigned as a paratype, referred because it was found in the same lot of 25 chalk nodules bought from collectors.

[3][4] In 1985, Peter Wellnhofer, a German paleontologist who has written numerous scientific publications on pterosaurs, named three additional species: S. araripensis, S. pricei, and S.

S. pricei, named after Llewellyn Ivor Price, was the smallest of the three species; it was based on BSP 1980 I 122, a left wing from the elbow down, and additional arm material has been referred to it over the years.

[4] S. spixi, intermediate in size, was based on BSP 1980 I 121, another left wing, the name honoring Johann Baptist von Spix.

[8] Averianov (2014) considered Santanadactylus spixi a nomen dubium probably synonymous with Tupuxuara longicristatus, and he also indicated that the paratype of S. brasiliensis was likely referable to T.

Wellnhofer (1991) considered it a member of the Ornithocheiridae based on the structure of the humerus, but noted that the elongation of the paratype neck vertebrae distinguished it from other ornithocheirids.