HYPAPOPHYSES & COMPSOGNATHIDS

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Quick response to recent post from Nick L...

RE: nectar-feeding in alvarezsaurids?

> To the extent that nectar feeders and 
> myrmecophages need to extend their tongues as far as possible into
> tight spaces to lap up food, they should look the same, so I guess the
> question is how they would differ; I'm not sure. 

Obvious difference = nectar/pollen feeders are generally volant or 
good at climbing (or both). Thus ant-eating for alvarezsaurids is 
apparently more parsimonious.

>  Darren was mentioning hypapophyses a while back. I've been 
> seeing these around a bit- a while back, I noticed some in 
> Compsognathus and figured that might throw it in to Maniraptora, but
> then I noticed that some pretty damn large ones are present in a
> specimen of Allosaurus as well, along with Sinraptor of course...

I've certainly never said that hypapophyses were unique to 
maniraptorans or anything - my only technical comments about them 
(in the _Thecocoelurus_ MS) have yet to be published (in press). As 
for _Compsognathus_, in my latest analyses I am not finding this as a 
definite member of the Coelurosauria... Need to check the details that 
result in this placement (and it may be that new info from 
_Eotyrannus_ - which of course is integral to my analysis - is moving 
other taxa around in the tetanuran tree). And I'm pretty confident that 
Nick is right about the type specimen of _Sinosauropteryx_ being little 
to do with _Compsognathus_.. the question is, when will this get 
published?

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
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