RE: Gaia theropod follow-up: a "new" phylogeny

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> David Marjanovic
> 
> _*WHY*_ do compsognathids come out closer to birds than
> arctometatarsalians???
> 
Yeah, bugged me, too, but that's the way the data bounces (for that analysis: I 
get a different set of results in the Ostrom Symposium volume).  For the SVP 
2000...?  We'll see.

Among the features supporting it (some additional ones have varying alternative 
optimizations depending on using DELTRANS or ACCTRANS): Caudal edge of dorsal 
zygapophyses overhangs centrum; medial gastral segment shorter than lateral 
segment; ischium less than 66% length of pubis.

> I hope mine will be published in the meantime... (okay, okay, judging from
> the method mine isn't worth much. I have used about 20 characters or less,
> and I haven't used a computer (for lack of PAUP, MacClade et 
> omnia. But who
> knows, maybe among these characters are just the ones everyone has
> overlooked before...). Ref will be:
> David MarjanoviÄ: Is Archaeopteryx really a bird? The Dinosaur Society
> Quarterly Review, probably the next issue
>
Look forward to seeing it.

                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.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
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