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Re: Megalancosaurus, Longisquama & other oddballs

Mike,
I would agree that something like Crocodylotarsi would be preferable to Pseudosuchia. However, Avemetatarsalia is probably at best the paraphyletic mother group that gave rise to Crocodylotarsi (not sister groups), and Avemetatarsalia may well turn out to be actually polyphyletic.
And I also agree that Ornithischia is preferable to Predentata, although I'm not particularly crazy about either one of them. I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping Phytodinosaura might be a good clade. Time will tell.
Time for bed, Ken
*********************************************************

From: "T. Mike Keesey" <tmk@dinosauricon.com>
Reply-To: tmk@dinosauricon.com
To: Stephen <stephenbowden@home.com>
CC: -Dinosaur Mailing List- <dinosaur@usc.edu>, -PhyloCode Mailing List- <PhyloCode@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu>
Subject: Re: Megalancosaurus, Longisquama & other oddballs
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 21:24:43 -0500 (EST)

On Sun, 18 Mar 2001, Stephen wrote:

> "T. Mike Keesey" wrote:
> <snip>
> >
> > While I'm at it, can anyone think of any objections to these definitions?:
> >
> > _Pseudosuchia_ == Clade(_Crocodylus_ <-- _Passer_, _Iguanodon_, _Megalosaurus_)
>
> It seems a pity not to take the opportunity of a new code to abandon
> those names which have become slightly nonsensical, of which this must
> be the shining example: "false crocodiles" seems the wrong way to name a
> clade based on _Crocodylus_. Stability of nomenclature isn't all good,
> all the time.

The pre-existing _Crocodylotarsi_ would be a *much* more appropriate name.
(It also makes for a nicer match to its sister group, _Avemetatarsalia_
(if that name is used instead of _Ornithosuchia_).)

It's kind of hard to make some of these calls, though. For example,
_Predentata_ is a much more appropriate name for Clade(_Iguanodon_ <--
_Megalosaurus_) than _Ornithischia_. But _Ornithischia_ is *extremely*
widely used, and _Predentata_ hardly used at all. In this case, the less
appropriate name should be conserved.

Is _Pseudosuchia_ too commonly used to be supplanted by _Crocodylotarsi_?
My feeling is no, although others are much better qualified to judge.

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