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Clade
Subclade

Taxon
Taxon
Prosauropoda
Nominal Author
Huene 1920
2nd Nominal Author
Taxon Status ACTIVE
Comments

Prosauropoda was coined by Huene (1920) and regarded by many authors (e.g. Romer 1956, Colbert 1964, Charig et al. 1965) as a paraphyletic ancestral group to Sauropoda. Recently, however, several cladistic analyses have recovered a monophyletic Prosauropoda that includes most of the well known genera (Sereno 1999, Yates and Kitching 2002). Others (Yates 2003) show a veritable comb of individual genera as sister taxa to Sauropoda. Still others attempt to unite all or nearly all non-sauropod sauropodomorphs as a clade (Galton 1990, Galton and Upchurch 2004), although the monophyly of virtually all non-sauropod sauropodomorphs is an unlikely configuration.

Upchurch (1997) provided the initial stem-based definition, using several families within Prosauropoda and Sauropoda as specifiers. Independently, Sereno (1998) used the genera Plateosaurus and Saltasaurus as internal and external specifiers. Given current instability in the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs, there is good reason to include an assortment of additional internal specifiers. If the taxon can be used at all to represent a monophyletic clade, it should reflect the prevalent historical tradition of including a broad sampling of basal sauropodomorphs that showing a suite of derived features including the twisted thumb. Taxa known from immature and disarticulated material (e.g. Thecodontosaurus) or taxa that are poorly represented (e.g. Blikanasaurus) need not be included as specifiers. The active definition is a first-order revision of Upchurch’s (1997) original definition. It sets a fairly high bar of inclusion for use of the taxon Prosauropoda, similar to that used recently by Yates and Kitchng (2003).

Potential Synonomy

Active Phylogenetic Definition
Active Definition
The most inclusive clade containing Plateosaurus engelhardti Meyer 1837, Massospondylus carinatus Owen 1854, Lufengosaurus hunei Young 1941, Yunnanosaurus huangi Young 1942, and Riojasaurus incertus Bonaparte 1969 but not Saltasaurus loricatus Bonaparte and Powell 1980.
Shorthand
> Plateosaurus engelhardti, Massospondylus carinatus, Lufengosaurus hunei, Yunnanosaurus huangi, Riojasaurus incertus but not Saltasaurus loricatus.
Definitional Author
Sereno 2005
Definition Status checked
Definition Type STEM
Node-Stem Triplet NO
Other Triplet Taxa
Specifiers
Specifier(s) A
Plateosaurus engelhardti, Massospondylus carinatus, Lufengosaurus hunei, Yunnanosaurus huangi,
Specifier(s) B
Specifier(s) C
Saltasaurus loricatus
Qualifiers
+Taxon
-Taxon
Datum
Taxonomic Content
Publication Year Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
1997

Inactive Taxon Status
Rejection Criteria
Critique
 

Definitional History #1
Earliest Record
Thecodontosauridae, Plateosauridae (Anchisauridae), Melanosauridae [sic], and all Sauropodomorpha closer to them than to Sauropoda.
Latest Record
Upchurch 1997:601
Range (My)
Range (My)
Thecodontosauridae, Plateosauridae (Anchisauridae), Melanorosauridae, Sauropoda
Range (My)

Definitional History #2
Earliest Record
All sauropodomorphs closer to Plateosaurus than to Saltasaurus.
Latest Record
Sereno 1998:63
Range (My)
Range (My)
Plateosaurus, Saltasaurus
Range (My)

Definitional History #3
Earliest Record
All taxa more closely related to Plateosaurus than to Sauropoda.
Latest Record
Galton and Upchurch 2004:233
Range (My)
Range (My)
Plateosaurus, Sauropoda
Range (My)

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Definitional History #9
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Definitional History #10
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