Re: SERENO'S NEW DINOSAUR PAPER

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

At 04:39 PM 6/30/97 -0400, Peter Buchholz wrote:
>Hello All,
>
>PARAVES is a junior subjective synonym of MANIRAPTORIFORMES, or so it seems
>based on what people describe.  It seems so far, that Paraves is NOT
>described as {_Dromaeosaurus_ + _Corvus_}, but as {Deinonychosauria +
>_Corvus_}, ie: {_Dromaeosaurus_ + _Troodon_ + _Corvus_}.

Don't be too hasty: Deinonychosauria was never formally defined in a
phylogenetic context.  Indeed, a paper in press (more details at SVP '97)
gives a stem-based definition of the name.

(Also, I believe that the modern bird used in the definition of Aves,
Neornithes, Neognathae, etc. is _Passeres_, not _Corvus_ (although I, too,
would have prefered _Corvus_!).

>So not to
>fret, that name for the node uniting dromaeosaurs and birds still does not
>have a name, and now someone can think up a better name for it than Sereno
>did (no offense intended).

Unfortunately, Paraves does stand for now...

>NEORNITHISCHIA, while a name I hate, is unfortunately valid as the node
>uniting {_Triceratops_ + _Lambeosaurus_}

Again, be not so hasty in assuming these particular taxa are the ones
chosen.  The "anchor taxon" for Ornithopoda has not been explicitly named as
of yet, and I personally would like to see _Iguanodon_ get its due (i.e.,
Ornithopoda = _Triceratops_ > _Iguanodon_; Euornithopoda = _Hypsilphodon_ +
_Iguanodon_; etc.).

>within the stem-based taxon CERAPODA
>{_Lambeosaurus_ > _Stegosaurus_ | _Ankylosaurus_}.  I had to look through
>Sereno 1996 to check and see if Cerapoda was in fact stem based, but in so
>many words he states that it is the sister group to Thyreophora, and thus
>stem-based.

However, the differences between node- and stem-based taxa were not clear in
1986 taxonomy, and Sereno himself implies synonymy of Cerapoda and
Neornithischia (p. 445).  Again, the reasons for the new name are not
stated, and it could be a preoccupied name for all I know.

>Another rant follows:  If any of you on this list name a taxon as NEO- this
>or EU- that I will personally hunt you down and flog you.  ENOUGH ALREADY
>with the NEO-/EU- names.  They are undescriptive, unimaginative, and just
>plain annoying.  Enough of Neotetanurae, Neoceratosauria, Neotheropoda,
>Neosauropoda, Neornithischia, Neoceratopia, Eusauropoda, Euornithopoda,
>Euiguanodontia etc etc etc.......  Ok, enough of that.

I guess you're not going to like the Neoeuarctometatarsaliformes, then? :-)

(Kidding, kidding...)

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661