Re: "The X Digit"...a Pteroid bone??

["T. Mike Keesey" <tkeese1@gl.umbc.edu>]

On Sun, 24 Jan 1999 Dinogeorge@aol.com wrote:

> Everybody should have a look at Dave Peters's pterosaur Web site:
> http://home.stlnet.com/~azero/Pterosaur_Homepage.htm
> A very well-designed Web site that features Dave's pterosaur phylogeny. Good
> enough to publish anywhere, in my opinion. He argues that pterosaurs are
> derived prolacertiforms, not archosaurs, a viewpoint that is winning converts
> in high places.

Man, this would wreak havoc with the content of some clades -- Ornithodira
{Pterosauria + Dinosauria} would include pseudosuchians, _Euparkeria_,
etc. (not to mention prolacertiforms). Dinosauromorpha 
{Dinosauria > Pterosauria} would be come virtually identical  to
Archosauriformes.

If this were the case, abandonment of Ornithodira and refinement of the
definition of Dinosauromorpha {Dinosauria > Pterosauria,
Pseudosuchia} might be a good idea. 

--T. Mike Keesey                                   <tkeese1@gl.umbc.edu>
THE DINOSAURICON                http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~tkeese1/dinosaur