Alvarezsauridae (was RE: Me vs. Makovicky et al.- comparison and consensus)

[Brad McFeeters <archosauromorph2@hotmail.com>]

> From: Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>
> Reply-To: twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: RE: Me vs. Makovicky et al.- comparison and consensus
> Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 12:37:43 -0500
>
> Michael Mortimer wrote:
>
> > Plus, there are characters agreeing with my topology (e.g. coracoid bent 
> > at level of tubercle in Patagonykus, but not Alvarezsaurus or Mononykus), 
> > and Patagonykus lived earlier than Alvarezsaurus and is the largest 
> > alvarezsaurid, so some data make more sense that way.
>
> I was going to jump in and say "But what about _Rapator_!!??".  This is 
> known from an alvarezsaurid-like phalanx, which is very large by 
> alvarezsaurid standards.  But then I remembered it's a bad idea to 
> extrapolate body size from a single phalanx; _Rapator_ may have had 
> proportionately larger forelimbs compared to its relatives.

Or maybe Rapator is the sister taxon of Alvarezsauridae, rather than an 
alvarezsaurid sensu stricto?  I don't remember who defined Alvarezsauridae, 
but The Dinosauricon currently has it as the [Alvarezsaurus + Mononykus] 
node.

http://dino.lm.com/taxa/display.php?name=Alvarezsauridae