RE: Microraptor and Birds

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> T. Michael Keesey
>
>
> > I would suggest resurrecting the names Caenagnathiformes (taxa
> closer to
> > _Caenagnathus_ than to _Archaeopteryx_)

Bloody Hell, folks!!!  Can't a guy be working on something without someone
(totally unknowingly, I admit) coming out the same on the dino list?!?!

> Personally, I think Archaeopterygiformes
> would be better
> for Clade(_Archaeopteryx lithographica_ <- [insert favorite
> neornithean species
> here]), especially since your suggested Archaeopterygiformes is a
> heterodefinitional synonym of _Paraves_.

I agree...

> > The pitfall with descriptive names (e.g., Arctometatarsalia,
> Maniraptora,
> > Saurischia) is that some or most of the constituent taxa may lack the
> > nominative characters.
>
> If they lack it because it's secondarily lost, I don't think this
> is a big deal
> (unless perhaps, the majority of members have lost it).

Like the grasping hand of Maniraptora, in which over 12000 known species
have ungrasping hands?  (I don't see these as being pitfalls per se).

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796