RE: Microvenatoridae?

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

> From: Mickey_Mortimer [mailto:Mickey_Mortimer@email.msn.com]
>
> Slight disagreement.  While it is true Caudipteryx and Microvenator have
> never been in a published phylogenetic analysis together, the
> segnosaur/oviraptorosaur/Caudipteryx trichotomy has been tested.  Both Tom
> Holtz and I have included all three in our unpublished analyses.  I find
> (Segnosauria (Caudipteryx + other oviraptorosaurs)), Holtz finds
> (Caudipteryx (Segnosauria + Oviraptorosauria)).  Not a consensus, but
> certainly tested.
>
Somewhat out of date here:

My LATEST matrix (the SVP 2K matrix, not the modified Gaia one which will
appear in the Ostrom Symposium) finds _Caudipteryx_ as closer to
Oviraptorosauria/Oviraptoroidea (= Caenagnathidae + Oviraptoridae) than to
Therizinosauroidea, but outside a _Microvenator_ + Oviraptoroidea clade.  In
fact, when _Nomingia_ is included, it fell closer to _Caudipteryx_ than to
other oviraptorosaurs!

Oh, and to answer the original question:
The status of _Caudipteryx_?  Still dead... :-)

P.S. Remember that Gould is a specialist on evolutionary theory (in general)
and on late Cenozoic pulmonate snails (in particular): the details of
coelurosaurian anatomy and relationships are not part of his expertise,
hence his confusion.

                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
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796