Re: paraphyletic Dromaeosauridae (Yandangornis?)

["David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

>       Presently I am tyring to decide what to do with Yandangornis.  Is it
a
> bird near Sapeornis, or closer to dromaeosaurs (sensu lato) or a more
> primitive maniraptor?

IMHO the following is pretty clear:

--*==everything else
   `--1--*Yandangornis*
        |--*Hulsanpes*
        `--2--*Sapeornis*
             `--Pygostylia

Most apparent synapomorphies:
1 mtIII expanded at its proximal end; sternal features (unknown for
*Hulsanpes*)
2 short tail (unknown for *Hulsanpes*, badly known for *Sapeornis*)

Apart from *Hulsanpes*, this part of the tree is remarkably stable, at least
as long as a certain undescribed fossil will be inserted, probably as sister
group to 2...

Search for "Yandangornis" and "Hulsanpes" in the archives.