Re: Rahona/Vorona

["Jaime Headden" <jaemei@hotmail.com>]

I wrote:

<*Vorona* was found a long way away from *Rahona* (don't get too used to 
the name, it's going to change), and Feduccia either doesn't know this, 
or didn't tell you. What exactly do you mean by "a long way", Jaime?>

By about a meter, which in a quarry of this small size, would be 
comparatively long. My source is the list, so I may be mimicking, 
therefore I appologize for this info (should it prove wrong, of course 
:-) ).

<The Rahona paper states that both Rahona and Vorona were found in the 
same SMALL quarry, without any relative positions. I haven't seen the 
Vorona paper, which might have the info, though doubtful as Rahona 
hadn't been published at that stage. Although Forster et al think it 
unlikely that the wing is from a different animal, they are careful to 
note that the possibility cannot be ruled out. It might be worth noting, 
however, that their cladistic analysis was done both with and without 
the wing characters included, and in both cases Rahona came out in the 
same place, with Archaeopteryx and (Unenlagia? - don't have
the paper in front of me at the moment).>

I do. It is placed between Dromaeosauridae and Archie, therefore 
paravian, by Novas and Puerta (1997). Structure and orientation of the 
glenoid are derived (neither of the other groups have it) so this may be 
a distinguishing feature that sets *Unenlangia* apart from that 
position. Doesn't mean closer to birds or dinosaurs, just "different".

<So from the point of view of dinosaur-bird relationships, whether or 
not the wing belongs to Rahona or Vorona may not be that critical.>

Actually, I would agree. *Rahona* shows many other features that are 
suitable in their own right of alleigance to Archie in favor of dromies, 
such as the pedal configuration (reversed hallux set near the base of 
the tarsometatarsus) and pelvis (ischium and ilium very diagnostic, in 
this case).

Hmmm. Who talks to Forster? *Rahonavis* wouldn't be too bad of a 
replacement name, and it keeps the flavor of the name, without that 
disfiguring *oides* added as in days of old. "Bird menace" or "Bird from 
the clouds"....

Jaime A. Headden

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