Re: Re: Abelisaur & Titanosaur migratory routes

[Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)]

>On Thu, 25 Jan 1996 Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:
>
>> In a message dated 96-01-25 01:45:01 EST, Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu
(th81)
>> writes:
>> 
>> >The monophyly of the "Andesauridae" has yet to be established, but they may
>> >very well be a natural group.
>> 
>> I'd say it was a parafamily, with Titanosauridae its descendants. Cladists
>> might want to call the monophyletic group Andesauridae + Titanosauridae =
>> Titanosauroidea.
>
>No, actually, cladists would ignore any "Andesauridae," as it is a 
>parataxon, and more likely put all the "titanosauroids" in one large 
>family Titanosauridae, with the "andesaurids" down at the base.

Nope.  The clade is Titanosauria, containing the monphyletic Titanosauridae
and some basal forms.  If two or more of these are closer to Andesaurus than
to Titanosaurus, then there is your Andesauridae.

Titanosauria + Opisthocoelicaudia is  Titanosauroidea, by the way.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist
Dept. of Geology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD  20742
Email:Thomas_R_HOLTZ@umail.umd.edu (th81)
Fax: 301-314-9661
Phone:301-405-4084