Meaning “gleaming-whole lizard” or “nimble dragon” from Early Cretaceous Sinkiang, northwest China. One source says that the name comes from Greek phaidros, “shining, joyful” plus Latin -olus; however, neither the Greek nor the Latin elements could be found in a large etymological dictionary. This fossil is considered nomen dubium, of “doubtful name”. Named by Chinese paleontologist Zhiming Dong in 1973.