Re: palaeognaths (NEORNITHINE PHYLOGENY)

["Ken Kinman" <kinman@hotmail.com>]

     I agree.  Therefore in 1994, I classified paleognaths in two separate 
orders (one for tinamous and the other for ratites).  Of course, Order 
Tinamiformes was coded as a paraphyletic group giving rise to a single order 
of ratites.
     However, it would not surprise me if ratites may have arisen from 
tinamous more than once in two or more distinct clades (and polyphyly is 
unacceptable if proven).  If this turns out to be the case, I will have to 
either (1) recognize more than one order of ratites; or (2) combine all 
paleognaths into one order and show their more complicated relationships 
with coding at the family level within that one order.
    But for now, given the uncertainties, I continue to recognize the two 
separate orders, one for tinamous and the other for ratites (traditionally 
considered a holophyletic group).
               -----Ken
******************************************
> From: Vorompatra@aol.com
> Reply-To: Vorompatra@aol.com
> To: ELurio@aol.com, dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: NEORNITHINE PHYLOGENY etc / Gondwanan groups
> Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 22:43:55 EDT
>
> In a message dated 7/25/2001 7:39:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
> ELurio@aol.com
> writes:
>
> << The reason that timinus aren't considered ratites by many workers is 
> that
>  they CAN fly. Dictionary abuse strikes again!!!  >>
>
> I cannot recall a reference which actually calls tinamous, ratites. As you
> noted, they are united as Paleognathus birds. I'm no expert on tinamou
> skeletons, but since they CAN fly (albeit weakly, I've read) they must have
> some sort of keeled sternum, which would not "work" for a ratite 
> (literally,
> anyway, since the word derives from Latin for "raft" and is intended to 
> imply
> a lack of keel). IIRC, there are 43 tinamou species, compared to 10 extant
> ratites.
>
> Chip
>
> www.geocities.com/vorompatra

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