Re: Phytodinosauria status

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

     I was just looking at the 10 skeletal "innovations" which Sereno 1999 
listed for ornithischians, and sure enough no. 10 is the pendant fourth 
trochanter.
     The first five deal with the jaw (and plant chewing) so could have 
arisen more than once.  I also wonder how many times the predentary bone may 
have arisen, given its presence in at least one Cretaceous bird (EGAD!!!).
     Ornithischian phylogeny seems a whole look shakier than ever imagined, 
and a paraphyletic (or even a polyphyletic) Thyreophora seems a real 
possibility.
        -----This is very troubling,    Ken
********************************************************
> From: Dinogeorge@aol.com
> Reply-To: Dinogeorge@aol.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: Phytodinosauria status
> Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 23:01:20 EDT
>
> In a message dated 6/6/01 8:53:51 PM EST, Mickey_Mortimer11@email.msn.com
> writes:
>
> << You're aware that Gow et al. (1990) proved Massospondylus lacked a horny
>  beak, so this character cannot be used to unite the taxon with 
> Ornithischia?
> >>
>
> But as far as I know, M still has a pendant fourth trochanter.
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