Scientific name Avetheropoda | Phylum Chordata | |
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Lower classifications | ||
Avetheropoda, or "bird theropods", is a clade that includes allosauroids and coelurosaurs to the exclusion of other dinosaurs.
DefinitionEdit
Avetheropoda was named by Gregory S. Paul in 1988, and was first defined as a clade by Currie and Padian in 1997, to include Allosaurus, modern birds, and other animals descended from their most recent ancestor. In 1999, Paul Sereno named another group, Neotetanurae, for the clade containing Allosauroidea and Coelurosauria, and excluding other tetanurans such as megalosauroids, but this definition was published slightly later.
References
Avetheropoda Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA