Re: Coelurosaur phylogeny

["Mickey Mortimer" <Mickey_Mortimer111@msn.com>]

Nick Gardner wrote-

> 1.  Have you tried to run NGMC 2124 as a separate OTU following HP
> Longrich's SVP presentation?

I only include the holotype and NIGP 127587 in my Sinosauropteryx OTU.  I
might code NGMC 2124 later as a separate OTU, based on some good new photos
I have of the specimen.

> 2.  What characters united _Protarchaeopteryx_ with the "Enigmosauria"?

No need for the quotation marks, clade names can't be "official" until
Phylocode comes out anyway.  Enigmosauria is just as valid as Dromavialae,
Tyrannoraptora or Theropoda.
However, after including several more avian taxa in the preliminary run
(Wellnhoferia, Shenzhouraptor, Changchengornis, Jibeinia, Eocathayornis,
Eoenantiornis, Longchengornis, Enantiornis, Neuquenornis, Yixianornis,
Ambiortus), the result is changed again.  New consensus tree (186 chars, 74
taxa)-
|--Bagaraatan
|--Tyrannosauroidea
|--Proceratosaurus
|--Sinosauropteryx
|--Compsognathus
|--Scipionyx
|--Coelurus
`--+--+--+--Archaeornithoides
   |  |  `--+--Alvarezsauridae
   |  |     `--Ornithomimosauria
   |  `--+--Segnosauria
   |     `--Oviraptorosauria (incl. Avimimus)
   `--+--+--Troodontidae
      |  `--+--Microraptor
      |     `--+==Dromaeosauridae
      |        `--+--Bambiraptor
      |           `--Sinornithosaurus
      `--+--Protarchaeopteryx
         `--+--+--Archaeopteryx
            |  `--Wellnhoferia
            |--Scansoriopterygidae
            `--+--+--Rahonavis
               |  |--Shenzhouraptor
               |  `--Jeholornis
               `--Pygostylia
This shows how important it is to include all relevent taxa when performing
a phylogenetic analysis.
As for what characters place Protarchaeopteryx in the Avialae-
- external naris longer than antorbital fenestra.
Based on my tentative interpretation of unpublished photos.
- nasal (anterior tip to middle suture point) divided by frontal (middle
suture point to posterior tip) <135%.
Also based on unpublished photos, but nearly certain this time.
- maxillary and posterior dentary teeth with reduced mediolateral
compression.
According to Xu et al.'s (1999) data matrix.
- dorsal pleurocoels present in all dorsal centra.
Assumed based on their presence in posterior dorsal centra (nothing has
posterior dorsal pleurocoels that lacks anterior ones).
- caudofemoral ratio less than 4.
And Eumaniraptora-
- coracoid facets on sternum almost anterior, at an angle of 100 degrees or
more to each other.
No matter which orientation the sterna are articulated in.

> 3.  How did you get _Avimimus_ and _Archaeornithoides_ to fall in with the
> arctometatarsalians (which I presume is the ornithomimosaurs)?

By coding them for the characters I included. ;-)
In the new tree, you can see Avimimus is back in the Oviraptorosauria.
As for Archaeornithoides, it's Arctometatarsalian based on-
- palatal shelves of maxillae contact.
And sister to Ornithomimosauria + Alvarezsauridae based on-
- fused/absent interdental plates.
- dentary teeth set in groove.
- serrations absent from both carinae.

> 5.  What taxa are you using as your outgroup?

Monolophosaurus jiangi, Sinraptor dongi (holotype only), Allosaurus (A.
fragilis and A. sp. nov.).

David Marjanovic wrote-

> But I do think it is interesting that nothing I know except *Microraptor*,
> *Archaeopteryx*, *Rahonavis*, *S/J*, and *Scansoriopteryx* has middle tail
> vertebrae that are over twice as long as the 1st one. Do troodontids have
> that, too?

Sinornithoides, Bambiraptor, Wellnhoferia, almost certainly Alvarezsaurus.
Probably NGMC 91 and Cryptovolans.

Mickey Mortimer