phytodinosauria

[Stang1996@aol.com]

In a message dated 96-02-13 14:01:22 EST, you write:

>I don't know the distribution of this character. Are hyposphenes-hypantra 
>found in the early small members of each clade? (ie. Coelophysis and 
>Thecodontosaurus, respectively). As for the 
>suites of other characters not supporting Saurischia, I know only one, 
>that supports  the Phytodinosauria (that being broad, leaf shaped teeth).

But the point is, that the Saurischia IS STILL MONOPHYLETIC if the
phytodinosauria is too.  Let me draw a cladogram:

Th   Sa   Po   Se   Pr
   \     \     \       \    /
     \     \     \       1
       \     \     \    /
         \     \     2
           \     \  /
             \    3
               \ /
                4
Th = Theropoda; Sa = Sauropoda; Po = Prosauropoda; Se = Segnosauria; Pr =
Predentata.  1 is Ornithischia; 2 is unnamed ASKAIK; 3 is Phytodinosauria; 4
is Dinosauria.

But, what the Saurischia is is: all the descendants of the most recent
ancestor of theropods and sauropods; or in other words: dinosauria.  So, the
saurischia would not be in jeopardy if the phytodinosauria was real.

Peter Buchholz
Stang1996@aol.com