Re: eumaniraptoran systematics (was Re: Revising Hou et al, 96 (very very long))

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Mike Keesey (keesey@bigfoot.com) wrote:

<_Eumaniraptora_ Padian, Hutchinson & Holtz 1998 (emended for PhyloCode) =
Clade(_Vultur gryphus + _Deinonychus antirrhopus_)>

  The the more inclusive _Paraves_ Gauthier, 1988, Paraves(_Deinonychus
antirrhopus_ <-- _Oviraptor philoceratops_) [I think this is the intended
structure, without using "clade" at the beginning of the formula, as it
appears to be an "insert clade name here" null entry]...

  I still like the Wagner-Buchholz notation, sorry guys, because it's not
so ridiculously over-structured: Paraves = {Deinonychus <- Oviraptor}. The
arrow instead of the "greater-than" sign is used because this does seem to
be an advantage of the PhyloCode's notation ... and note, you can still
change the notation before pre-emminent publication!

  And this leaves the *Oviraptor* + *Vultur* (for which I still say
*Passer* is probably the better choice as it is much more personally
available and observable than an old-form carno-stork like *Vultur*) clade
unnamed, even though Sereno redefined Hutchinson and Holtz' explicit
definition to represent the maniraptoran node. There is a definition of
that sort with this, so Sereno supplied, in effect, a nameless clade,
which needs a name. I have one available, of course ....
 
<#2 seems preferable to me. It might also be wise to replace the
_Troodon_-based names with _Saurornithoides_-based names, as _Troodon_ may
be a _nomen dubium_. (Saurornithoidoidea sounds kinda weird, though,
doesn't it?)>

  In the event that *Troodon* is dismissed as an _nomen dubium_, so to
does it take any eponymous taxon names with it, including Troodontidae,
and if Gilmore actually published Troodontoidea, that to. The available
name for the group is Saurornithoididae Barsbold, 1974. Adding -oidea is
not neccessary, nor is inclusion of Saurornithoid- anything.... An
entirely new word may be formed for this purpose, or use of another
internal specifier for eponymous purposes. One may have, then,
Byronosauria, etc.... Troodonts have only two truly universal
autapomorphies that are not equivocal, and that is the increase and
morphology of their teeth, and the elongate and enlarged maxillary
fenestra. Thus, the snout is autapomorphic, and a name like "Psalidorhina"
could be instructive to this purpose ("scissor snouts").

  Cheers,

=====
Jaime A. Headden

  Little steps are often the hardest to take.  We are too used to making leaps 
in the face of adversity, that a simple skip is so hard to do.  We should all 
learn to walk soft, walk small, see the world around us rather than zoom by it.

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