Taxonomy (was RE: Oviraptor)

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> paul sparks
>
> No wonder we amaturs get confused. Nothing is what it is proported to be.
> Jeeeeeze.

Well, with all due respect, c'est la sciece.

And of course you are assuming that Currie et al.'s topology is the "right"
answer, or that there *IS* a right answer for questions of generic
assignment.

>
> Nip********
>   Currie et al. (2003) suggest that the following topology is
> more likely to
> be
> true:
>
> --+--+--Albertosaurus
> | `--Gorgosaurus (= Albertosaurus?)
> `--+--+--Daspletosaurus
> | `--+--Alioramus (= Tarbosaurus?)
> | `--Tarbosaurus (= Tyrannosaurus?)
> `--+--Nanotyrannus (= Tyrannosaurus?)
> `--Tyrannosaurus
>
> Which throws a moneky wrench in the use of *Tarbosaurus* as a 1:1
> corrollary
> to *Tyrannosaurus*

Again, only if this topology is correct (and, as has been noted, the above
does not include postcranial characters).

And, of course, it would STILL be a "1:1 corrallar to Tyrannosaurus" if we
used Greg Paul's generic assignments (roughly, Albertosaurinae =
Albetrosaurus, and Tyrannosaurinae = Tyrannosaurus).

                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
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