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My take on Allosaur Phylogeny



Ok, since everyone else has tried at this, I guess it's my turn now.

Family Piatnytzkisauridae
-Piatnytzkisaurus
-Monolophosaurus
-Afrovenator

Family Carcharodontosauridae
-Carcharodontosaurus
-Acrocanthosaurus
-Giganotosaurus

Metriacanthosauridae (=Sinraptoridae)
-Metriacanthosaurus
-Yanchuanosaurus
-Sinraptor
-Szechuanosaurus
-Marshosaurus

Allosauridae
-Allosaurus
-Cryolophosaurus
-Saurophaginax

Torvosauridae
-Torvosaurus
-Gasosaurus
-?Eustreptospondylus

Megalosauridae
-Megalosaurus
-Chilantaisaurus

Mg Ab To Al Me Ca Pi  Co
  \   /      \    \ /     \  /     /
    2         \   6       7    /
      \          \   \    /    /
        \          \   5    /
          \         \   \  /
            \         \  4
              \        \/
                \     3
                  \  /
                   1

Mg = Megalosauridae; Ab = Abelosauria (Abelosauridae + Noasauridae); To =
Torvosauridae; Al = Allosauridae; Me = Metriacanthosauridae (=Sinraptoridae);
Ca = Carcharodontosauridae; Pi = Piatnytzkisauridae; Co = Coelurosauria.
 Node 1 = Tetanurae; Node 2 = Megalosauroidea; Node 3 =Neotetanurae; Node 4 =
Avetheropoda; Node 5 = Allosauria; Node 6 = Allosauroidea; Node 7 is
unnnamed.

I created the family Piatnytzkisauridae for P., Monolophosaurus, and
Afrovenator because they all posses relatively large nares, very similar
maxilla and, in M. and A. at least, Lacrimals that have a "wiggle" or bend in
them.  I chose P. to name the family because it was named more than a decade
before the other two.  I think that perhaps Afrovenatoridae might have been a
wiser coice though.  I believe that it is the sister group to
Carcharodontosauridae.  Other than that, I think my cladogram is pretty
normal.

The name Sinraptoridae has to be supressed if Metriacanthosaurus is included
in it because Metriacanthosaurinae (Paul 1988) has priority since it was
named before S. was even discovered.  Also, if Eustreptospondylus is in the
Torvosauridae as I beleive it might, I think that the name
Eustreptospondylidae (Paul 1988) has priority, but I'm not sure though...

Why are there SO SO many Theropod names with SOOOO many letters??  Enough of
Carcharodontosaurus, Piatnytzkisaurus, Giganotosaurus, Metriacanthosaurus,
Yangchuanosaurus, Eustreptospondylus!  The list could go on forever.  Stop
making such big names!

Peter Buchholz
Stang1996@aol.com