Re: Dinofest Report #2 (and final)

["Jaime Headden" <jaemei@hotmail.com>]

Jonathon Woolf wrote:

<In his Saturday talk on North American oviraptorosaurs, Hans-Dieter 
Sues said his research implied that arctometatarsaly arose multiple 
times, and that Arctometatarsalia is not a valid taxon.>

Where arctometatarsaly is the condition of pinching mt III between II 
and IV, occluding it from the proximal surface, and Tom's other points, 
is indicative of an Arctometatarsalia taxon, with other morphs  showing 
an "arctomet"-like form, but mt III is the real clincher here, for it 
varies incredibly among the theropods, with the other mt's just helping 
to confuse us all.

And Archie's all to blame!

These other forms vary with a consistency that is grouped separately 
from others, such as the elmisaur, enantiornithine, and alvarezsaur 
tarsometatarsi. *Deinonychus* shows a "crunch" with mt III even, pressed 
in slightly by II and IV, similar to the enantiornithine condition, but 
only just barely.

But I am repeating the list, here. Suffice it to say, the form of the 
tyrannosaur and bullatosaur tarsometatarsus, and all else to agree in 
morphology, form a natural group to which a suite of other characters 
have been noted, such as the unserrated or d-shaped premaxillary teeth, 
varying among some members.

Jaime A. Headden

Here I go, again. Hurry, shoot me before I run free into society!

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com