Re: Rauhut's Thesis

["ekaterina amalitzkaya" <eamalitz@hotmail.com>]

Fascinating treatise by Dr. Rauhut. Many question apart from the most
general one how much can the matrix preparation be trusted.

_____Euparkeria
> |_____Marasuchus
>  |_____Ornithischia
>   |_____Sauropodomorpha
>    |_____Eoraptor
>     |_____Staurkiosaurus
>      |      |_Herrerasaurus
>      |______Segisaurus
>       |        |_Syntarsus
>       |        |_Coelophysis
>       |        |_Gojirasaurus
>       |        |_Shuvosaurus
>       |        |__Liliensternus liliensterni
>       |         |__Liliensternus airelensis
>       |________Dilophosaurus

So this part of the tree appears to be an artefact arising through the
inclusion of Shuvosaurus- the Coelophysids should be monophyletic. So Dr.
Rauhut has now refuted the idea that Shuvosaurus may be a Lotosuchus like
basal archosaur?


>        |________Ceratosaurus
>         |           |__Elaphrosaurus
>         |             |_Abelisauridae (including Noasaurus)


Mr. Mortimer's idea that Noasaurus should group with the other small
Southern theropods is interesting and probably the best solution. Though it
is possible that the real diversity of theropods in the
Africa-S.America-India zone has not even been fully studied. Does Dr. OR
mention anything about the new Jurassic theropods he discovered recently?


>           |     |_______Torvosaurus
>           |     |     |____Chilantaisaurus
>           |     |        |___Spinosauridae (Baryonychidae is used)

This part is somewhat Sereno like? what was the fate of Cryolophosaurus in
Dr. ORs analysis?

>           |     |________Afrovenator
>           |          |_____Allosaurus
>           |          |_____Sinraptoridae
>           |              |___Neovenator
>           |                |__Carcharodontosauridae (including
> Acrocanthosaurus)


Have you tried removing Acro to see if it affects the picture in any way??
So what that other bloke on DML mentioned regarding Neovenator  being closer
to the Carcharodontosaurs and Currie's Sinraptor-Carcharo..connection might
have some validity after all- Suggesting an early split between the
allosaurs and the other lineage. I wonder if someone would go back to
Tendaguru and look for those Jurassic giants.

>                   |_____________Bagaraatan
So Bagaraatan seems to be a very interesting theropod close to the base of
the crown group radiation of some of the most interesting forms. I would be
interesting to see if Dr. Holtz's new coelurosaur occupies a similar
position as hinted by his cryptic statement.

>                   |______________Troodontidae
>                             |         |___Dromaeosauridae (including
> Sinornithosaurus)

So a Sereno like Deinonychosauria is supported here. Some years ago Dr. OR
had published a little paper on a sickle claw, teeth and pedal elements from
Sudan. May be he could enlighten us as to whether this was Troodont or a
Dromaeosaur. Would the presence of these in Africa not be unexpected by the
current paleogeographical considerations?

>                             |_________Unenlagia
>                                     |_____Aves (including Rahonavis)

So were there Deinonychosaurs in South America or India? If the relative
large Unenlagia is not exactly a Deinonychosaur and closer to the birds but
not one as yet then what exactly was it. Should we not expect similar forms
in SA and Ind are there any indications of such?

It only shows us how little of the diversity of the dinosaurs we have
understood even around the Avian part of the tree that seems to be an
inexplicable preoccupation of most dinosaurologists.
-EA
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