Re: Is Euornithes preoccupied?

[fredericus ruhe <fredruhe@xs4all.nl>]

Hi Tim,

José L. Sanz & Angela D. Buscalioni, 1992: A New Bird from the Early
Cretaceous of Las Hoas, Spain, and the Early Radiation of Birds:
Palaeontology 35: 829-845. named a new subclass of birds Euornithes and
defined it as the group that comprises the most recent common ancestor of
Iberomesornis and Ornithurae (sensu Gauthier 1986 and Cracraft 1986) and all
of its descendants. All other taxa proposed as avian subclasses (Neornithes,
Enantiornithes, etc.) are included within Euornithes at a lower taxonomic level.

But this still leaves the question: what did Dementjev include in his
Euornithes?

Fred Ruhe

At 14:48 10-11-2000 CST, you wrote:
>Ken Kinman wrote:
>
>>     Is Euornithes Sereno, 1998, not preoccupied by Euornithes Dementjev,
>>1940 (a group which apparently refers to a group of enantiornitheans)?
>
>Dementjev cannot have named a clade within the Enantiornithes back in 1940, 
>since the Enantiornithes wasn't named until 1981.
>
>More recently (1996), I've seen Kurochkin use the Euornithes as a clade 
>within the Enantiornithes.  I also remember thinking what an utterly daft 
>idea it was.  There's the etymological incongruity of having the "true 
>birds" as a subgroup of "opposite birds"!!??; (reminds me of putting the 
>Suchia inside the Pseudosuchia).  Sereno uses the name Euornithes for the 
>_sister taxon_ to the Enantiornithes.  As such, Sereno's Euornithes includes 
>modern birds (Neornithes), ichthyornithids, and hesperornithiforms, but not 
>Enantiornithes, confuciusornithids or _Archaeopteryx_.
>
>Oviraptorosauria
>Paraves
>  Deinonychosauria
>  Aves
>    _Archaeopteryx_
>    Ornithurae
>      _Confuciusornis_
>      Ornithothoraces
>        Enantiornithes
>        Euornithes
>
>
>I would say that if Sereno provided a definition of the Euornithes, then it 
>would probably stand (from memory I can't recall the taxa in which 
>Euornithes was anchored by Sereno).  In other words, Sereno's 1999 usage 
>(see above) would supplant Kurochkin's 1996 usage of the name Euornithes (as 
>a clade of enantiornithine birds).  Although Kurochkin diagnosed the 
>Euornithes, he did not (AFAIK) provide a formal definition of the taxon.  
>Either way, Dementjev (1940) gets credit for the name Euornithes.
>
>Confused?  Join the club.
>
>
>Tim
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>Dr Timothy J. Williams
>USDA/ARS, Agronomy Hall
>Iowa State University
>Ames IA 50014
>
>Phone: 515 294 9233
>Fax:   515 294 3163
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