RE: Bagaraatan ostromi

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> ekaterina amalitzkaya
> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 1999 11:30 PM
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Bagaraatan ostromi
>
>
> Hi, is there any published cladistic analysis in which Bagaraatan ostromi
> has been included. Does it fall as one of the basal taxa of
> coelurosauria as
> can be inferred from a cursory analysis of the Osmólska figures
> or does it
> have specific features that suggest inclusion within Maniraptoriformes.
>

As it is formally in press, I think I can speak to that now:

My large (386 characters, 41 ingroup taxa in the main analysis) theropod
phylogeny paper, forthcoming in the Gaia theropod volume (out before the end
of the year, we hope) includes _Bagaraatan_.  It comes out as a primitive
coelurosaur, outside of Maniraptoriformes.  As Osmolska noted, there are a
number of ceratosaur-like features in the anatomy, but these are currently
best explained by convergence.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.inform.umd.edu/SCHOLAR/programs/elt.html
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796