RE: Aves and Mononykus

["Timothy Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Tom Holtz wrote:

> Chiappe's latest analyses also find Alvarezsauridae as the sister taxon to
> Aves, not within Aves.  Although the analyses themselves are not yet
> publised (they are in press), the results are found in the Chiappe et al.'s
> paper on confuciusornithids (Bull. AMNH 242).

I wonder - do these analyses examine the relationships _within_ the 
Alvarezsauridae?  I remember hearing a few informal comments over whether 
_Alvarezsaurus_ and the mononykines (_Mononykus_, _Shuvuuia_, _Parvicursor_) 
really comprise a monophyletic group.  The analyses given in the proceedings 
of the Gondwana Symposium do support a monophyletic Alvarezsauridae, but do 
other analyses come to the same conclusion?

As for _Patagonykus_ - there were concerns over whether the type specimen is 
monophyletic - i.e. it could be a jumble of more than one taxon.  (For both 
questions, I don't mean to sound like I'm contradicting the results of the 
analyses, I'm just curious.)

I also have the Australian genus _Rapator_ pegged as a likely alvarezsaurid 
(the "metacarpal" is probably the claw-bearing manual phalanx).  However, 
the single theropod caudal vertebra named _Walgettosuchus_ found nearby  
(and which has sometimes been referred to _Rapator), does not look like it 
belongs to an alvarezsaurid.  It's quite unremarkable - could almost be 
anything.


Tim



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