| Dinosauriformes Fossil range: Middle Triassic - Recent | |
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 Mounted skeleton of Marasuchus, an early dinosauriform. | |
| Scientific classification
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Subdivisions: |
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Dinosauriformes is a clade of archosaurian reptiles that include the dinosaurs and their most immediate relatives. All dinosauriformes are distinguished by several features, such as shortened forelimbs, and an at least partially perforated acetabulum, the hole in the hip socket traditionally used to define dinosaurs.
The term Dinosauriformes was coined and defined in 1992 by F.E. Novas, who used it to include the herrerasaurs, which he did not consider members of Dinosauria proper. Contrary to Novas, most paleontologists since 1992 have considered herrerasaurs to be true dinosaurs, though many other primitive, dinosaur-like reptiles fall within his definition of Dinosauriformes. Dinosauriformes fall within the clade Dinosauromorpha.
Phylogeny[]
Cladogram simplified after Ezcurra (2006):
| Dinosauriformes |
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References[]
- Ezcurra, M.D. (2006). A review of the systematic position of the dinosauriform archosaur Eucoelophysis baldwini Sullivan & Lucas, 1999 from the Upper Triassic of New Mexico, USA. Geodiversitas, 28 (4): 649-684.
- Hutchinson, J.R. & Gatesy, S.M. (2000). Adductors, abductors, and the evolution of archosaur locomotion. Paleobiology 26 (4): 734-751
- Novas, F.E. (1996). Dinosaur Monophyly. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16 (4): 723-741.
- Sereno, P.C. and Arcucci, A.B. (1994). Dinosaur precursors from the Middle Triassic of Argentina: Lagerpeton chanarensis. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13: 385-399.