[Taxacom] Recoding diapsid reptiles (revised placement of turtles)

[Kenneth Kinman]

Dear All,
       I was asked why I didn't recognize the clade Avicephala (Senter,
2004).  Although Senter's analysis resulted in Plesion Coelurosauravidae
clading with the Drepanosauridae (along with a couple of other genera)
to form his new taxon Avicephala, I have not seen other analyses coming
up with this clade.  Renesto and Binelli, 2006, in particular, added
more data, and in their analysis Drepanosauridae came out close to the
prolacertiforms, well away from Plesion Coelurosauravidae.  Thus, I
suspect that convergence is at work here, and Avicephala might well be
polyphyletic.             
        ---------Cheers,     
                    Ken Kinman       
P.S.  Note that there was a typo in my classification.  It should be
Plesion Heleosaurus (not Heliosaurus).