RE: synapsids (was RE: pdf request)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Brad McFeeters
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 6:50 AM
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: synapsids (was RE: pdf request)
> 
> 
> If a synapsid condition really is primitive for amniotes, is 
> there any chance that some animals presently classified as 
> basal synapsids are actually closer to sauropsids, or basal 
> to the sauropsid-synapsid split? 
> 
Extremely unlikely for the "classic" synapsids. Despite the fact the clade's 
name comes from a single character state, it is
supported by a number of derived characters from various parts of the skeleton.

That said, it has been occasionally suggested that Diadectes is a basal 
synapsid, although the majority of studies place it outside
crown-group amniotes.

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, 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