Re: Declining pterosaur diversity

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

----- Original Message -----
From: K and T Dykes

> <<Another SVP meeting abstract from this year makes a good argument for 
> interpreting stagodontids as otter analogs, based on the discovery of... 
> isolated tail vertebrae.>>
>
> And characteristics of the teeth, my memory tells me.

Oh yes -- the wear.

> [...] several 'South American' lineages seem to have a North American 
> presence in the Cretaceous; Polydolopimorphia and Ameridelphia,

"Ameridelphia" is the paraphyletic group that includes all not too basal 
(*Deltatheridium*, *Sinodelphys*, *Asiatherium*...) metatherians and 
excludes the Australian ones. A North American polydolopimorph, as well as a 
Cretaceous one, sounds very interesting, however!!! I would greatly 
appreciate the pdf...

> (I'm not sure I'll keep Alphadelphia for too long!)

Normally I'd say drop it at once, but... there's yet another SVP meeting 
abstract that proclaims the destruction of Pediomyidae, but doesn't tell how 
else those pesky little beasties -- sometimes considered the sistergroup of 
the South American + Australian metatheres -- are now arranged. Perhaps you 
should wait for the publication of that study.