Re: Ceratosauria vs. Neotheropoda?

[GSP1954@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/22/09 12:18:43 AM, keesey@gmail.com writes:

<< Even Paul (2008) is somewhat guilty of this, in comparing the evolution 
of 'iguanodonts' (a grade) with that of hadrosaurids (a clade), as if the 
two groups represent separate halves of a whole (Hadrosauriformes), rather 
than one being a subset of the other. >>

Nein, nein, nein. Hadrosauriformes are not a subset of iguanodonts, both 
are subsets of iguanodontoids. What we have now is a situation in which your 
hadrosaurs have series of formal names pertinent to them alone because of the 
accident of their being derived within the clade, while the more basal 
iguanodontoids are stuck with no formal designations because doing so would 
result is gasp and horror paraphyletic groups which are phylocode evil for no 
good reason. Having just finished up the dinosaur field guide I cannot 
overemphasize how this is a taxonomic mess that will befuddle the public. 

GSPaul</HTML>