Re: _Liaoningornis_

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-02-24 12:36:01 EST, PELLUCIDAR@aol.com writes:

<< Pardon me if this has been asked before, but are furculae known in any
 non-Maniraptoran theropods?  Also, how would one view the furcula of
 Archaeopterx--as a derived character of the Maniraptora or an ancestral
 character of Aves? >>

Furculae are known in _Allosaurus_ and a smaller, unnamed Morrison allosaurid
theropod, and in the "pre-feathered" basitheropod _Longisquama_, in addition
to a number of maniraptoran theropods. The furcula is one of the diagnostic
characters of Aves (and I include all theropods in that dinosaurian subgroup,
so there aren't any "non-avian theropods," heh heh).