Re: New Triassic Theropod Dinosaur - Tawa Hallae

[Augusto Haro <augustoharo@gmail.com>]

Wow, what a discovery!
It seems to have altered significantly the early portion of the basal
saurischian dinosaur tree!

2009/12/10 Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. <tholtz@umd.edu>:
>> From: owner-VRTPALEO@usc.edu [mailto:owner-VRTPALEO@usc.edu]
>> On Behalf Of William_Parker@nps.gov
>>
>> Today's issue of Science has an article on a new basal
>> theropod, Tawa hallae,  from the Upper Triassic Chinle
>> Formation of New Mexico by Sterling Nesbitt, Nathan Smith,
>> Randall Irmis, Alan Turner, Alex Downs, and Mark Norell.
>> Known from two almost complete specimens this new taxon
>> clears up issues regarding the phylogeny and distribution of
>> early theropods, including the phylogenetic position of
>> herrerasaurs and Eoraptor.
>>
>
> Already hitting the online news:
> http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/scn121009_02.html
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/dec/10/tawa-hallae-feathered-theropod
> -mexico
>
> Nesbitt, S. J., Smith, N. D., Irmis, R. B., Turner, A. H., Downs, A., and M.
> A. Norell. 2009. A complete skeleton of a Late Triassic saurischian and the
> early evolution of dinosaurs. Science 326:1530-1533.
>
> By adding this new taxon--known from multiple nearly complete
> skeletons--into their matrix, the authors find:
>
> +--Silesauridae
> `--Dinosauria
>   |--Ornithischia
>   `--Saurischia
>      |--Sauropodomorpha
>      `--Theropoda
>         |--+--Staurikosaurus
>         |  `--+--Chindesaurus
>         |     `--Herrerasaurus
>         `--+--Eoraptor
>            `--+--Tawa
>               `--Neotheropoda
>                  |--+--"S." kayentakatae
>                  |  `--Coelophysis
>                  `--+--Liliensternus
>                     `--+--Zupaysaurus
>                        `--+--Cryolophosaurus
>                           `--+--Averostra
>                              `--Dilophosaurus
>
> Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
> Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
> Office: Centreville 1216
> Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
> Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
> http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
> Fax: 301-314-9661
>
> Faculty Director, Earth, Life & Time Program, College Park Scholars
> http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite/
> Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
> http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
> Fax: 301-314-9843
>
> Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
>                        Department of Geology
>                        Building 237, Room 1117
>                        University of Maryland
>                        College Park, MD 20742 USA
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>
>>
>>
>> **************************************************************
>> **********
>> Bill Parker
>> Vertebrate Paleontologist
>> Division of Resource Management
>> Petrified Forest National Park
>> P.O. Box 2217
>> 1 Park Road
>> Petrified Forest, AZ 86028
>> (928) 524-6228 x262
>>
>
>