During the German paleontological expeditions to German East Africa between 1909 and 1913, some pterosaur fossil material was collected that was recognised as such by Hans Reck in 1931.[1] In 1999 David Unwin and Wolf-Dieter Heinrich named a new genus for it. The type species is Tendaguripterus recki. The genus name is derived from Tendaguru and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name honours Reck.