Abstract
New and important pennaraptoran specimens continue to be discovered on a regular basis. Yet, with these discoveries the number of viable phylogenetic hypotheses has increased, including ones that challenge the traditional grouping of dromaeosaurids and troodontids within a monophyletic Deinonychosauria. This chapter will cover recent efforts to address prevailing phylogenetic uncertainties and controversies, both between and within key clades, including deinonychosaurian monophyly, the phylogenetic position of anchiornithines and scansoriopterygids, and the interrelationships of enantiornithines. While recent discoveries mainly from Asia have created much of the latest uncertainty and controversy, new material, particularly from Asia, promises to rather fittingly address these issues. Further curatorship of long-standing phylogenetic datasets and more prevalent use of extended analytical protocols will be essential to meeting this challenge, especially for groups whose boundaries have been blurred. As it becomes increasingly difficult to study all fossil materials, owing to their growing numbers and ever disparate locations, broader use of digital fossils and online character databases for character coding is acutely needed to ensure that errors arising from remote, rather than firsthand, scoring are reduced as far as possible, particularly at this time of rapid data accumulation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | PENNARAPTORAN THEROPOD DINOSAURS PAST PROGRESS AND NEW FRONTIERS |
Editors | Michael Pittman, Xing Xu |
Publisher | American Museum of Natural History Library |
Pages | 7-36 |
Number of pages | 30 |
Edition | 1 |
State | Published - Aug 1 2020 |
Publication series
Name | Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |
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Number | 1 |
Volume | 440 |
ISSN (Print) | 0003-0090 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study benefitted from discussions at the International Pennaraptoran Symposium, held at the University of Hong Kong and supported by Kenneth H.C. Fung and First Initiative Foundation. This study was supported by the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong’s General Research Fund (17103315 to M.P., X.X., and P.A.G.). It was also supported by the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Science and University Research Committee Post-doctoral Fellow Scheme, Conference Grant, and Seed Fund for Basic Research (all to M.P.), and the National Science Foundation of China (41688103, 41120124002, and 91514302, to X.X.), a Proyecto de Unidad Ejecutora from CONICET (PUE0070 to P.A.G) and a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S032177/1 to D.J.F.). Scott A. Hartman is thanked for the use of his skeletal reconstructions.