Re: Archaeopteryx's dinosaurian synapomorphies

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

On Mon, 22 Jan 1996, th81 wrote:

> >   Up on my web page I have an posting by Holtz outlining the 20-30
> >synapomorphies that Archaeopteryx shares with modern birds.
> >
> >   I'd love to have a similar posting up there that outlines the
> >synapomorphies Archaeopteryx shares with dinosaurs.  If somebody'd take the
> >time to type them in, I'd be grateful.
> 
> The characters Archie shares with nonavian dinosaurs are symPLESIOmorphies
> (shared primitive characters), although all of them are synapomorphic at
> some level (i.e., Archaeopterygiformes, Maniraptora, etc.)
> 

Primitive for Archie, but not for archosaurs as a whole!

I BELIEVE he meant the features that separate dinosaurs from other 
archosaurs (i.e. dinosaurian synapomorphies) that are also found in birds 
(i.e. all of them).  That is, the ones showing that Archie is a dinosaur 
and not something else.

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