Pelycosauriformes?

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

  Sorry, next gripe:

You wrote:

<CLASS REPTILEA
   1  Pelycosauriformes
  _a_ Therapsiformes
  _a_ {{Class Mammalea}}
   2  Mesosauriformes>

  Pelycosauria (root) has been described
(non-cladistically, I might add) as polyphyletic,
comprised from a basal (*Ophiacodon*) through a series
up to theropsids, thereabouts with the incredibly cool
gorgonopsians and dicynodonts. There are a series of
developments found (Colbert, I think, then Romer,
described these without the benefit of Hennig's
inovations) in the jaws and appendicular skeletons of
varanopsids, ophiacodonts, sphenacodonts, edaphosaurs,
etc., that lead up to Theropsida, Gorgonopsida,
Cynodontia, etc.

  Perhaps most argumentably, "Pelycosauriformes" is
the least tenable of these _neo nomina_; in fact,
"neotaxa" could be a handy term for a paraphyletic
taxon defined for just such a purpose, but I could
just rephrase my dislike for paraphyletic _taxa_.

=====
Jaime "James" A. Headden

  Dinosaurs are horrible, terrible creatures! Even the
  fluffy ones, the snuggle-up-at-night-with ones. You think
  they're fun and sweet, but watch out for that stray tail
  spike! Down, gaston, down, boy! No, not on top of Momma!

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