AVES classification updated

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,
      Two newly described families (by Czerkas et al., 2002, in "Feathered
Dinosaurs and The Origin of Birds") have been added to my classification:
Scansoriopterygidae (which probably includes Epidendrosaurus, which I
obviously still think is closely related to Microraptor, but perhaps even
closer to Rahonavis); and Omnivoropterygidae (as a basal clade of
Caenagnathiformes).
     The new genus Archaeovolans (which was part of the notorious
"Archaeoraptor" chimaera) is placed next to Yanornis (with which it may be
congeneric).  And where to place Cryptovolans is a bit of a challenge, but
I'm presently placing it near Archaeopterygidae pending further analysis.
Its proposed assignment to Dromaeosauridae seems doubtful to me, just as I
found the assignment (earlier this year) of Sinovenator as a troodont to be
problematic (my reasons for that appear in the DML archives).  Cryptovolans
may be almost as hard to place as Protarchaeopteryx (well, actually the
latter has been much more difficult).  Homoplasy and incomplete fossils
certainly make for a very frustrating mix.

CLASS AVES (sensu Kinman, 2002)
>   1  Troodontiformes
>           1  Pl. Sinornithoides
>           A  Pl. Byronosaurus
>           A  Troodontidae
>   ?  Plesion Bagaraatan
>   2  Plesion Sinovenator
>   3  Archaeopterygiformes%
>           1  Dromaeosauridae
>           B  Utahraptoridae
>           ?  Pl. Pyroraptor
>           2  Pl. Bambiraptor
>           B  Velociraptoridae
>           3  Pl. Sinornithosaurus            ?  Pl. Unenlagia
>           4  Pl. Microraptor
>           5  Scansoriopterygidae
>           B  Pl. Rahonavis
>           6  Archaeopterygidae
>           ?  Pl. Cryptovolans
>           7  {{expanded Metornithes}}
>  _1_ Yandangornithiformes
>           1  Plesion Jeholornis
>           A  Pl. "Shenzhouraptor"
>           A  Yandangornithidae
>   ?  Pl. Protarchaeopteryx    2  Mononykiformes Kinman, 1994            1
>Pl. "E." gautieri
>           ?  Pl. Rapator
>           2  Patagonykidae
>           3  Parvicursoridae
>           4  Mononykidae    3  Avimimiformes
>   ?  Pl. Sapeornis
>   4  Caenagnathiformes
>           1  Omnivoropterygidae
>           2  Pl. Caudipteryx
>           B  Pl. Nomingia
>           3  Pl. Microvenator
>           4  Oviraptoridae
>           5  Caenagnathidae
>   5  Confuciusornithiformes
>   ?  Pl. Protopteryx
>   6  Longipterygiformes
>   7  Pl. Jibeina
>   ?  Pl. Hulsanpes
>   8  Pl. Boluochia
>   B  Iberomesornithiformes
>   9  Enantiornithiformes
>   B  Gobipterygiformes
>  10  Pl. Vorona
>  11  Patagopterygiformes
>  12  Chaoyangiiformes
>   ?  Pl. Yanornis
>   ?  Pl. Archaeovolans
>  13  Pl. Apsaravis
>  14  Hesperornithiformes
>  15  Ambiortiformes
>  16  Ichthyornithiformes
>  17  Pl. Limenavis
>  18  Lithornithiformes
>  19  Tinamiformes
>_a_  Struthioniformes
>  20  Galliformes
>          .... rest of neognaths



_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com