Alvarezsaurus feet

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Tue, 6 Feb 1996, th81 wrote:

> >3. Did _Mononykus_ and the other alvarezsaurids have an arctometatarsalian 
> >pes? I seem to remember reading that somewhere... If so, does that show 
> >that birds are descended from arctometatarsalians, not maniraptorans?
> 
> Mononykus and "Ornithomimus" minutus have an arctometatarsus: I can show you
> the slides of these.  Alvarezsaurus does not.  I do not know the condition
> of the foot of Patagonykus.
> 
> If "Alvarezsauridae" is monophyletic, then the arctometatarsus probably
> evolved independantly in this clade.
> 

What *does* the foot of _Alvarezsaurus_ look like?  How robust is the 
case for placing _Mononykus_ and _Patagonykus_ in the Alvarezsauridae?

> Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
> Vertebrate Paleontologist

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S. Truman