Re: Predentata

[Jeff Poling <jpoling@infinet.com>]

At 09:26 PM 2/5/96 -0500, Nicholas J. Pharris wrote:
>On Mon, 5 Feb 1996, Jeff Poling wrote:
>
>>    It was recently mentioned Bakker and others use Predentata instead of
>> Ornithischia.  I like this idea as it helps clear up some of the confusion
>> between "bird-hips" and bird's hips.
>> 
>>    However, what does the Saurischia become?  The unDentata?  Nondentata?
>> Antidentata?  Adentata?
>
>Well, they have *teeth* (most of them anyway); they just don't have 
>predentary bones (except, as someone noted, for some early birds).  I 
>suppose the name would have to be Apredentata if you wanted to base it on 
>this particular character.

   Whoops.  My cleverness got me in trouble ... wasn't reading my words
carefully.  The should be Unpredentata, Nonpredentata, Antipredentata and
Apredentata.  Also Notpredentata, Nopredentata, Inpredentata.

>I very much dislike the term Saurischia, BTW, based as it is on a 
>plesiomorphous character.  There must be something better out there.  Too 
>bad all the synapomorphies uniting this clade are so technical and hard 
>to pick out.

   Yah.  Maybe we should coin a term here on the list.  Everybody starts
using it and it takes over by sheer force of will.  Maybe we can succeed
where Bakker failed with _Brontosaurus_.

   Lessee ... do any of the saurischia have grinding teeth?  Maybe something
based on this fact.  Pointytoothedthingamagigs maybe.

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