Re: Chatterjee's Protoavis

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:33 PM

> Others have described the skull and neck to be possibly drepanosaurian in
> nature.  The skulls of drepanosaurids and _Longisquama_ are superficially
> bird-like - which is why Senter (2004) gave the name "Avicephala" to the
> clade containing Drepanosauridae and _Longisquama_.
>
> [...] One researcher has been overheard remarking: "It
> seems to be a fauna, not a taxon".

The neck, at least, is pretty obviously drepanosaurian -- either that or it 
comes from a _highly derived_ bird (Ornithurae sensu strictissimo). I've 
seen photos of the necks of *P.* and a drepanosaurid, and they're identical. 
There's also theropod material in there; considering the fact that the lower 
leg is much too big for the femur + pelvis, there must be at least 2 
individual theropods in there (provided that one isn't, say, a 
sphenosuchian...).

The foot, however, doesn't fit any of the above. It really looks birdlike, 
and closer to the short-tailed birds than, say, *Archaeopteryx*. That said, 
I should probably take another look at the small, bad photos... never trust 
Chatterjee's drawings; they are always generous reconstructions.