Re: Bird arms

[chris brochu <cbrochu@fmppr.fmnh.org>]

>A big cladistic problem with vestigialization is that there can be many
>different kinds of precursors of a vestigial organ, all of which arrive at the
>same derived vestigial state. Lots of phyletic information can become lost
>through vestigialization, potentially confusing cladistic analysis. This kind
>of thing has happened, for example, with _Hupehsuchus_, an aquatic animal so
>derived for its lifestyle that its relationships are presently unanalyzable.


Actually, John Merck was able to successfully include Hupehsuchus within a
cladistic analysis of euryapsids and basal archosauromorphs.  He is
currently preparing his dissertation for publication.


chris




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Christopher Brochu

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Department of Geology
Field Museum of Natural History
Lake Shore Drive at Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL  60605  USA

phone:  312-922-9410, ext. 469
fax:  312-922-9566

cbrochu@fmppr.fmnh.org