RE: Raptors Are Not Dinosaurs? Oh, My!

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> T. Michael Keesey
>
> --- "Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu> wrote:
> > No, there is no such morphological break.  In fact, the biggest
> jump in the
> > theropod record is between potential basal theropods (_Eoraptor_,
> > Herrerasauridae) and "eutheropods" (coelophysoids plus Neotheropoda):
>
> "Eutheropoda" hasn't been published, has it?

Not yet. I used it in my disseration for the Ceratosauria-Tetanurae clade,
and I've heard that others want to employ it for a coelophysoid + ceratosaur
+ tetanurine clade.

> As an aside, Paul's _Avepoda_ would be identical in terms of
> known membership,
> although it is apomorphy-based, and hence more inclusive in theory.
>
True enough.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
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