Alvarezsauridae splitting??

["Ken Kinman" <kinman@hotmail.com>]

    Before I get too much of reputation as a "mad" lumper (although I do 
admit to being on the lumper side of the spectrum), I would like to bring up 
the subject of Alvarezsauridae.
    I've always suspected that lumping Alvarezsaurus and Mononykines in the 
same family was perhaps not such a good idea.  It seems like once this was 
done, most people started to treat it as a unit, rather than possible 
independent entities.
    So my two questions are:
(1)  Is the evidence for a holophyletic Alvarezsauridae really all that 
strong?  [After all, Alvarezsaurus is kind of "scrappy" isn't it].
(2)  If it isn't really holophyletic, could this perhaps explain why it 
jumps around Maniraptoriform phylogenies so much (sort of like a barefoot 
kid in an asphalt parking lot on a hot summer's afternoon).  Just wondering 
if splitting up Alvarezsauridae (like putting shoes on the kid) might make 
it less phylogenetically jumpy.
          -----Shifting to splitting mode?,
                       Ken Kinman
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