Re: Senter et al. 2004 impressions

[Mickey Mortimer <Mickey_Mortimer111@msn.com>]

T. Michael Keesey wrote-

> > Accordingly, phylogenetic bracketing woud require that _Deinocheirus_
had an
> > arctometatarsalian pes, or secondarily lost it.  Interestingly, under
this
> > phylogeny both _Deinocheirus_ and alvarezsaurids belong to an expanded
> > Bullatosauria.
>
> Since _Deinocheirus_ has long been thought to be an ornithomimosaur, it
was
> supposed to have an arctometatarsalian pes (or reversal from that state,
as you
> say) anyway, and would also have been included under _Bullatosauria_ in
> phylogenies where the clade was not equivalent to _Maniraptoriformes_.

Indeed.  In addition, since Alvarezsaurus, Patagonykus, Harpymimus and
"Grusimimus/Tsurumimus" aren't arctometatarsalian, Deinocheirus would
optimize as non-arctometatarsalian too.  Once I add my extra 200+ pectoral
and appendicular characters... in a couple months or so, hopefully
Deinocheirus' position will stabilize in my trees.

Mickey Mortimer
Undergraduate, Earth and Space Sciences
University of Washington
The Theropod Database - http://students.washington.edu/eoraptor/Home.html