coelurosaur phylogeny & classification

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

Dear All,
      I've concluded that the basal relationships of coelurosaurs is so 
uncertain (and bound to remain so for a long time) that the best 
cladisto-eclectic approach would be to return to the recognition of a more 
traditional, broad "paraphyletic" Family Coeluridae (rendered 
semi-holophyletic with markers).   Whether Coeluridae gave rise separately 
to Tyrannosauridae and to maniraptoriforms is also uncertain (if there is a 
tyrannosaurid-maniraptoriform clade, they would be combined into one 
outgroup and thus one marker).
    In any case, here is my first stab at classifying and coding Family 
Coeluridae sensu lato (Note that _1_ is the only symbol which interrupts a 
cladistic sequence and marks the beginning of another major clade):

ORDER SAURISCHIFORMES
         .....basal families omitted here
   4  Allosauridae (= Carnosauria sensu stricto)
   5  Coeluridae (sensu lato, i.e. more traditional)
          1  Gasosaurus
          2  Dryptosaurus
          B  Deltadromaeus
          3  Proceratosaurus
          ?  Piveteausaurus
          4  Nedcolbertia
          ?  Nqwebasaurus
          B  Ornitholestes
          ?  Santanaraptor
          5  {{Tyrannosauridae}} very "incertae sedis"
          6  Compsognathus
          B  Sinosauropteryx
          7  Coelurus
          8  Scipionyx
          9  {{Ornithomimidae to AVES}}
                 (= Maniraptoriformes Holtz?)
  _a_ Tyrannosauridae
          (sensu lato, i.e. tyrannosauroids)
  _1_ Ornithomimidae
   2  Therizinosauridae
   B  Caudipteridae
  _a_ Oviraptoridae
   3  Alvarezsauridae
   B  Avimimidae
   4  Troodontidae
   5  Dromaeosauridae
   6  Plesion _Rahonavis_
   7  {{AVES}}
********************************************************
     I am still undecided where to place Bagaraatan (coelurid or in the 
maniraptoriform clade).
                       -----Ken
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