RE: Therizinosaur track from Denali National Park, Alaska

[Anthony Docimo <keenir@hotmail.com>]

> Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:10:02 +1000
> From: tijawi@gmail.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: Therizinosaur track from Denali National Park, Alaska
> 
> Anthony Docimo <keenir@hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> >> There is at least one other group of Cretaceous theropods that have
> >> four forward-facing toes. The flightless bird _Patagopteryx_ has a
> >> "pamprodactyl" foot,
> >
> > um, just out of curiosity, how many species is _Patagopteryx_ held to
> > presently have?
> 
> Unless something has changed, _Patagopteryx_ currently has only one
> species. _Alamitornis_ has been regarded as a close relative by
> Agnolin and Martinelli (doi 10.1016/j.jsames.2008.09.003), but it's
> smaller and more gracile, and it's not known if it was flightless.
 
Thank you.
 
> > (if less than two, how is that a third group?)
> By the "other group" I meant birds in general. Sorry for not making
> that clear. Pamprodactyly has evolved several times in the Avialae.
 
Thanks for clarifying. So, saying "pamprodactyl groups" is just 
paraphletics(sp) , rather than anything meaningful?