Class AVES expanded (preliminary classification)

Curtis Clark jcclark at CSUPOMONA.EDU
Wed Jan 30 18:47:39 CST 2002


At 02:55 AM 1/28/02, Ken Kinman wrote:
>I fully expect
>this to be controversial, but I am convinced this is the best way to proceed
>(and to focus the muddled debate over bird origins, so we can settle it once
>and for all).

Several Taxacom members have posted at various times that "eclectic"
classifications (i.e., with paraphyletic groups) are more stable than
"cladistic" classifications. If Ken were a cladist, his decision to expand
Aves would affect only a single Class, but since he isn't, he has
effectively recircumscribed Reptilia as well.


--
Curtis Clark                  http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/
Biological Sciences Department             Voice: (909) 869-4062
California State Polytechnic University      FAX: (909) 869-4078
Pomona CA 91768-4032  USA                  jcclark at csupomona.edu




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