The genus was named in 2003 by Lü Junchang. The generic name is derived from Beipiao City in Liaoning Province and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific epithet honours paleontologist Professor Chen Peiji. In 2005 a study of the wing membrane by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) was published, showing it had contained many blood vessels, which indicated a role in the thermoregulation.[1]