Re: Applying Sereno's definitions to Neotetanurae: Part 2

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jaime A. Headden wrote:

> and Brusatte and Sereno's new skull from Morocco and what effect this will 
> have on the name >*Carcharodontosaurus*. Some have suggested using the 1996 
> Moroccan skull as a neotype for the rather undiagnostic type tooth (if it 
> indeed IS undiagnostic), and some may conserve the >tooth andsimply rename 
> the skull. Fixing the names on a single tooth with other fossils
> shaowing the type features are variable may make its use as a specifier 
> highly problematic.

Nice point.  I'd forgotten that the type for _Carcharodontosaurus_ 
(originally _Megalosaurus saharicus_) was a tooth.  A neotype might be 
prudent.  It was done for _Iguanodon_, after all.

>  Compsognathus longipes + Sinosauropteryx prima
>  Rauhut, 2003; Holtz et al., 2004; Hwang et al., 2004>
>
>   Better resolution should wait until the new description of the type and
> possible second specimen of the type species, and of the skull "Borsti" are
> available to us. That said, "Compsognathidae" itself may be paraphyletic as 
> a
> grade of small conservative coelurosaurs, and we should rather simply use 
> the
> smallest assured group of "compsognaths" as the specifiers of a
> "Compsognathidae".

This could be handled by adding an external specifier: e.g., Compsognathus 
longipes + Sinosauropteryx prima - Passer domesticus.  That way, if 
"Compsognathidae" turns out to be paraphyletic, it doesn't end up swallowing 
most of the Coelurosauria.

Anchoring Compsognathidae on_Compsognathus_ and _Sinosauropteryx_ may have 
the result of squeezing out taxa like _Huaxiagnathus_, _Mirischia_, etc.  
should the latter be found to be less derived than _C_ and _S_.  Maybe a 
stem-based Compsognathoidea or Compsognathia could be erected as a more 
inclusive taxon.

> <(Maniraptora sensu Holtz, 1994)
>  Ornitholestes hermanni + Passer domesticus
>  Holtz, 1992; Holtz, 1994; Holtz, 2000; Rauhut, 2003; Gishlick, 2002; 
> Senter et
> al., 2004; Holtz et al., 2004; mine>
>
>   And I would rather this not be called Maniraptora. "Carporaptores" 
> sounds ...
> okay ... might show that the development of the advanced folding wrist 
> starts
> about there (or with *Coelurus*).

I like Holtz's definition of Maniraptora.  Unfortunately, the manus of 
_Ornitholestes_ is unknown, so we do not know if it had the 'swivel-wrist' 
of more derived maniraptorans.

> <(Maniraptora sensu Sereno, 1998)
>  Oviraptor philoceratops + Passer domesticus
>  Sereno, 1999; Holtz, 2000 and 2001; Norell et al., 2000; all TWG; 
> Gishlick,
> 2002; Xu and Zhang, 2005>
>
>   I actually have the perfect name for this, but do not want to share in
> public.

Aviremigia (an apomorphy-based name) is available.  But you're right - this 
clade needs a name.  Maybe "Caudiptera" would work.

Cheers

Tim