Re: eumaniraptoran systematics (was Re: Revising Hou et al, 96 (very very lon...

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/29/02 1:46:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
mightyodinn@yahoo.com writes:

> Now that troodontids do seem to be deinonychosaurs (thanks to _Sinovenator
>  changii_), 

[wince] Better get used to _changiae_.


>  _Troodontidae_ [Gilmore 1924] Sereno 1998 (emended for PhyloCode) =
>  Clade(_Troodon mongoliensis_ <-- _Dromaeosaurus albertensis_) 

I'd be much more comfortable with a few more exclusive anchors.


>  2) Use Jaime's suggestion and make Dromaeosauroidea a stem-based sister to
>  _Troodontidae_. Actually, it might also be nice to call Clade(_Troodon
>  mongoliensis_ <-- _Dromaeosaurus albertensis_) Troodontoidea, and make
>  _Troodontidae_ a node within it -- say, Clade(_Sinornithoides youngi_ +
>  _Troodon mongoliensis_)? 

I kind of like this.


>  No name for Clade(_Troodon mongoliensis_ + _Dromaeosaurus
>  albertensis_). Of course, since there aren't any known members of
>  _Deinonychosauria_ which are not thought to be in this node-based clade, 

Is it possible that _Microraptor_ is one?


> It might also be wise to replace the _Troodon_-
> based
>  names with _Saurornithoides_-based names, as _Troodon_ may be a _nomen 
> dubium_.

Or we could fix that problem by designating a new type for _T. formosus_ (one 
of my favorite names)...

--Nick P.