RE: Madagascan Flying Raptor is INDEED a Madagascan Flying Raptor...

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:

> Buitreraptor gonzalezorum, the most complete member of Unenlagiinae. 
> Placing it in an updated matrix, its pulls the above creatures
> together into a clade at the base of Dromaeosauridae (especially if 
> Unenlagia and Neuquenraptor are the same taxon, as they
> suggest). The remaining (Laurasian) clade contains Microraptorinae 
> (Microraptor + Sinornithosaurus), and a clade of classic
> dromaeosaurids, divided into Dromaeosaurinae (Dromaeosaurus, Utahraptor, 
> Adasaurus, Saurornitholestes, and Achillobator) and
> Velociraptorinae (Velociraptor, Deinonychus, IGM 100/1015).

The Supplementary Information has some interesting tidbits.  It provides a 
phylogenetic definition for Unenlagiinae ("all taxa closer to _Unenlagia 
comahuensis_ than to _Velociraptor mongoliensis_"), and uses the 
suprageneric taxon Microraptorinae, citing Senter et al. (2004).  However, 
Senter et al. (2004) did not erect or define the clade Microraptorinae (or 
-idae) - they deliberately avoid using suffixes -idae and -inae, and instead 
came up with Microraptoria.  So I would assume that Microraptorinae 
Makovicky et al. (2005) is equivalent to Microraptoria of Senter et al. 
(2004).

As for the proposed synonymy of _Unenlagia_ and _Nequenraptor_...
"Novas and Pol (2005) distinguished _Neuquenraptor_ from _Unenlagia_ based 
on different femoral proportions, but the femur of _Neuquenraptor_ is 
incomplete and lacks both proximal and distal articular ends, rendering any 
estimates of proportions as tenuous.  Examination of the preserved and 
comparable features of the femora of both specimens revealed no substantial 
differences between them, and also reveals that they are similar though not 
identical in size.  New material referred to _Unenlagia_ (Calvo et al., 
2004) includes pedal phalanges that are almost identical to Phalanx II-1 and 
Phalanx II-3 of _Neuquenraptor_ in both size and proportions, although Calvo 
et al. (2004) misidentified these bones as deriving from digit I and 
illustrated Phalanx II-1 upside down.  Although the co-occurrence and size 
similarities between the few overlapping skeletal elements of 
_Neuquenraptor_ and _Unenlagia_ appear to be compelling evidence for 
possible synonymy, we recognize the need for more materials from the 
Portezuelo Formation to test this hypothesis more rigorously."

Also, it appears that pelvic characters played a major role in pulling 
_Rahonavis_, _Unenlagia_ and _Buitreraptor_ together; and the authors 
suggest that the mobile scapulocoracoid joint was acquired independently in 
_Rahonavis_ and ornithothoracine birds.  Makovicky et al. (2005) also 
mention possible unenlagiine material from northern Africa...

"Rauhut and Werner (1995) reported dromaeosaurid remains including pedal 
phalanges and teeth from the Cenomanian Wadi Milk Fm. of Sudan.  One of the 
referred bones was a phalanx II-2 that is similar to unenlagines in having a 
short, asymmetric heel (Rauhut, pers. com.).  Although this is a 
plesiomorphic trait and thus not indicative of relationships, it is 
consistent with the presence of a possible unenlagiine in Africa.  The 
referred teeth were serrated, however, thus differinf [sic] from the 
unserrated teeth of _Buitreraptor_.  The pedal and dental materials were 
found as isolated elements in several localities, so their association is 
tenuous.  Given the fragmentary and isolated nature of the Sudanese 
material, and lack of data on the dentitions of _Unenlagia_ and _Rahonavis_, 
it is impossible to refer any of the dromaeosaurid remains from Sudan to an 
unenlagiine at present."

Some of that Mongolian dromaeosaur material (e.g., _Hulsanpes_) might be 
worth a second look.

> Like Novas' giant unenlagiine (shown at SVP last year), Buitreraptor has an 
> elongate (almost pterodactyloid-like) snout.

It's even possible (but at the moment entirely uncorroborated) that 
_Unenlagia_ and _Rahonavis_ might have been toothless.

Flying dromaeosaurs??  What's next - oviraptorosaurs with pygostyes?  Oh, 
that's right...we already have them.

Cheers

Tim