Fossil remains of Shenzhoupterus date back to the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 120 million years ago.

Shenzhoupterus is based on holotype HGM 41HIII-305A (Henan Geological Museum at Zhengzhou), the articulated skull and skeleton of a single individual, with a wingspan of 1.4 meters (4.6 feet).

Shenzhoupterus lacked teeth, and had a crest on its skull that arched over the eyes and terminated in a small point toward the back of the head.

In their phylogenetic analysis, they recovered Shenzhoupterus within the family Tapejaridae, more specifically within a subfamily called Chaoyangopterinae, sister taxon to both Jidapterus and Chaoyangopterus.

Thalassodromeus Tupuxuara Jidapterus Shenzhoupterus Chaoyangopterus Sinopterus Huaxiapterus Tapejara Tupandactylus Topology 2: Kellner and colleagues (2019).