Let me get this right....

[Stang1996@aol.com]

There's been a lot of discussion on the list over the past few days about
advanced theropod phyloginies.  From what I am hearing, it seems that
Arctometatarsalia might be a sister group to Enantiornithoformes, which
together is a sister group to all other birds (including Avimimids and
Alverezsaurids; not including Archaeopterygids).  All that put together is a
sister group to Carnosuria.  Am I correct?

I'll try to draw a cladogram of what I think I am hearing:

Ar  Co  Ty  Tr  O  E  Av  Al  B  Ca
 \     \     \    \  /     /    \  /     /   /
   \     \     \   \/     /      \/    /   /
     \     \     \ /     /         \ /   /
       \     \    /    /           /   /
         \     \/    /           /   /
           \    \   /          /   /
             \    \/          /   /
               \    \       /   /
                 \    \   /   /
                   \   \/    /
                     \ /   /
                       \  /
                        \/
Ar = Archaeopterygidae (including Dromeosaurinae); Co = Compsignathidae; Ty =
Tyrannosauridae (including Aublysodontidae); Tr = Troodontidae; O =
Ornithomimosauria; E = Enantiornithoformes; Av = Avimimidae; Al =
Alverezsauridae; B = all other Birds; Ca = Carnosauria.

I know I'm leaving out quite a few advanced theropods, but I did put in the
important ones (according to the cladogram).  Is this even close to right?
 Hmm... I wonder why there is no therizinosauroidea in my cladogram?  Ya,
that's for you Tom.

Peter Buchholz
Stang1996@aol.com