Re: ectothermy?

[Jonkeria@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/5/98 3:05:54 AM Eastern Daylight Time, larryf@capital.net
writes:

<<First off I just want to reiterate that I`m backing off from the
 Synapsid-Diapsid link as it seems to be a pretty bad argument. [GOOD!] I`m
just
 trying to save my ass umption of a one time early development of an
 endothermic condition necessary for brooding of offspring! That`s a lot just
 to say, but I think the evidence, (if any) would be found in the family
 Protorothyridae leading up to the Synapsids, and later, the Diapsid line.>>

Please, Please read the literature on the Protothyrididae and their
relationship to synapsids (well, there is no relationship other than that they
are amniotes). Now, the Eothyrididae (don't confuse the two, very different
animals despite both being small [with some exceptions] and lizardy) are the
most primitive synapsids, and form a sister group to the highly specialized
herbivorous caseids. The protothyridids are nested pretty deep within
Sauropsida, past captorhinomorphs and all those guys and are possibly the
direct ancestors of the diapsids, but based on nearly every pertinent facet of
their anatomy are vastly different from the eothyridids and varanopseids (the
earliest synapsids) and are not a possible ancestor of these.

Sincerely,
Christian Kammerer 

P.S.-I still strongly suggest getting a copy of the Hopson chapter of _Origins
of the Higher Groups of Tetrapods_ as it deals very well with all of this.