RE: Revising Hou et al, 96 (very very long)

["Williams, Tim" <TiJaWi@agron.iastate.edu>]

Mickey Mortimer wrote:

> > I might be missing something, but the similarities shared by 
> > Sinornithosaurus and Archaeopteryx are likely to be primitive 
> > eumaniraptoran traits. 
>
> That's how I feel about the characters shared by Sinornithosaurus and 
> dromaeosaurids (T-shaped quadratojugal, elongated distal caudal 
> chevrons and prezygopophyses and some others). 

And secondarily lost in birds, including basal forms (like _Archaeopteryx_)?
Why would birds lose a stiffened tail so early in their evolution?

> That's Lourinhanosaurus.  Syntarsus, Poekilopleuron and those new 
> ornithomimids have them too. 

Got a ref for _Syntarsus_ gastroliths?


Jaime Headden wrote:

> > I kinda prefer pseudofeather or parafeather (latter was previously
> > published).

I believe the term 'parafeather' appeared in a SVP poster - as part of a
plethora of nonsensical neologisms associated with the anatomy of
_Longisquama_.


>  Such a curvature might outrule any aerodynamic function, as well.

Might have been useful in passive parachuting - solving what George has
aptly called the 'falling problem'.



Tim





------------------------------------------------------------ 

Timothy J. Williams 

USDA-ARS Researcher 
Agronomy Hall 
Iowa State University 
Ames IA 50014 

Phone: 515 294 9233 
Fax:   515 294 3163