Re: Theropod herbivory - parallel evolution or one clade?

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

David Marjanovic wrote:

> That's an understatement. Since its description everyone seems to agree 
> *Incisivosaurus* is the basalmost known oviraptorosaur. The oviraptorosaurs 
> and the segnosaurs seem to be each other's closest relatives, so there is a 
> relation.

Sereno erected the name Oviraptoriformes for the 
therizinosaur-oviraptorosaur clade.  _Incisivosaurus_ and 
_Protarchaeopteryx_ (if they are not one and the same) are both regarded as 
basal oviraptorosaurs.  _Shanyangosaurus_ may belong here too, or as a basal 
oviraptoriform.

If _Incisivosaurus_ is a herbivore, as interpreted by Xu et al. (2002), then 
herbivory/omnivory may be primitive for the Oviraptoriformes.  Given the 
suggestion that troodontids may have been omnivorous, this dietary 
preference may be primitive for a much wider group, like Maniraptora.  Maybe 
the immediate ancestors of birds were omnivores, and began climbing trees in 
order to nibble on leaves?  Many evolutionary scenarios have focused on the 
possible role of predation in the evolution of avian flight, but a possible 
role for herbivory has received far less attention, AFAIK.

Cheers

Tim

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