Abstract:Chaohusaurus geishanensis, an Early Triassic ichthyopterygia found in China, shares similar forefin and skull structures and reveals a systematic relationship to Grippia in Europe. However,further intercomparison was difficult because specimens subsequently discovered in China were either highly specialized in forelimb or incomplete. Here, two nearly complete and non—specialized forelimbs of Chaohusaurus found in the Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation in Hubei Province are described with related information on basal ichthyopterygians in China. Morphological comparison reveals that the general features of the Early Triassic Chaohusaurus in the Hubei Province were close to Ch. geishanensis of the same genus, but distinctly different from Ch. chaoxianensis. Its features such as relatively large individual size, intermediate squeezing and deformation and pisiform development shares some similarities with Grippia,Utatsusaurus,Parvinatator and other Early Triassic ichthyopterygians. Based on these results we propose that there were possibly two directions for evolution of the Early Triassic ichthyopterygians. After the end- Permian mass extinction (EPME), ichthyopterygians appeared and soon differentiated during the Olenekian. Some large individuals without specialized forelimbs but with strong motor ability migrated between different regions. However, other small individuals with specialized forelimbs and weak motor ability became a local (eastern Tethys) independently evolving branch. However,the clarification of the phylogenetic relationship between them, and the monophyly of Chaohusaurus needs to be tested by future studies.