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Clade
Subclade

Taxon
Taxon
Ceratosauria
Nominal Author
Marsh 1884
2nd Nominal Author
Taxon Status ACTIVE
Comments

The taxon Ceratosauria was coined by Marsh (1884) in a paper on dinosaur classification in Nature (31:68-69). It was a redundant taxon, including the single genus Ceratosaurus and family Ceratosauridae, which Marsh coined in another paper published in the same year (American Journal of Science 27:329-341). Gauthier (1986) correctly cited the former paper for authorship of Ceratosauria when he brought the taxon back into common use (also Kuhn 1967). Some subsequent authors, however, have incorrectly cited Marsh’s later paper that same year (e.g. Wilson et al. 2003; Tykoski and Rowe 2004).

Rowe (1989) defined Ceratosauria as “taxa more closely related to Ceratosaurus nasicornis”. Birds were implied, but not stated, as an external specifier of a stem-based definition, and so the definition is incomplete. A complete definition must be a statement that includes a definitional type and a minimum number of specifiers (Sereno 1999, 2005). Implied taxa, no matter how reasonable the implication may be, are insufficient. Neither Gauthier (1986) nor Rowe (1989) provided a complete phlogenetic definition for Ceratosauria.

The first complete phylogenetic definition for Ceratosauria was provided by Rowe and Gauthier (1990), who provided a node-based definition that listed eight species as internal specifiers. Rowe et al. (1997) and Padian et al. (1999) subsequently referred in error to this initial definition as stem-based. Tykoski and Rowe (2004) further complicated the defitional history of this taxon by attributing a stem-based version of the definition to Rowe (1989), whose definition was incomplete.

Holtz and Padian (1995) coined the first complete stem-based definition for Ceratosauria, doing so in an abstract and using Ceratosaurus and birds as specifiers. Sereno (1998) used Coelophysis and Neornithes, and later Padian et al. (1999) used Ceratosaurus and Neornithes. Given the emerging consensus that Ceratosauria as originally conceived by Gauthier (1986) is paraphyletic, use of Coelophysis as a specifier is not recommended. Wilson et al. (2003) adopted Padian et al.’s definition, replacing Ceratosaurus with Ceratosaurus nasicornis. The active definition is a first-order revision replacing Neornithes with Passer domesticus.

Potential Synonomy

Active Phylogenetic Definition
Active Definition
The most inclusive clade containing Ceratosaurus nasicornis Marsh 1884 but not Passer domesticus (Linnaeus 1758).
Shorthand
> Ceratosaurus nasicornis but not Passer domesticus.
Definitional Author
Sereno 2005
Definition Status checked
Definition Type STEM
Node-Stem Triplet NO
Other Triplet Taxa
Specifiers
Specifier(s) A
Ceratosaurus nasicornis
Specifier(s) B
Specifier(s) C
Passer domesticus
Qualifiers
+Taxon
-Taxon
Datum
Taxonomic Content
Publication Year Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
1998

Inactive Taxon Status
Rejection Criteria
Critique
 

Definitional History #1
Earliest Record
The group including Ceratosaurus nasicornis, Dilophosaurus wetherilli, Liliensternus liliensterni, Coelophysis bauri, Syntarsus rhodesiensis, Syntarsus kayentakatae, Segisaurus halli, Sarcosaurus woodi, and all other taxa stemming from their most recent common ancestor.
Latest Record
Rowe and Gauthier 1990:153
Range (My)
Range (My)
Ceratosaurus nasicornis, Dilophosaurus wetherilli, Liliensternus liliensterni, Coelophysis bauri, Syntarsus rhodesiensis, Syntarsus kayentakata
Range (My)

Definitional History #2
Earliest Record
All theropods closer to Ceratosaurus than to birds.
Latest Record
Holtz and Padian 1995:35A
Range (My)
Range (My)
Ceratosaurus, birds
Range (My)

Definitional History #3
Earliest Record
All neotheropods closer to Coelophysis than to Neornithes.
Latest Record
Sereno 1998:64
Range (My)
Range (My)
Coelophysis, Neornithes
Range (My)

Definitional History #4
Earliest Record
Neotheropods closer to Ceratosaurus than to Neornithes.
Latest Record
Padian et al. 1999:70
Range (My)
Range (My)
Ceratosaurus, Neornithes
Range (My)

Definitional History #5
Earliest Record
The most inclusive clade containing Ceratosaurus nasicornis but not Neornithes.
Latest Record
Wilson et al. 2003:30
Range (My)
Range (My)
Ceratosaurus nasicornis, Neornithes
Range (My)

Definitional History #6
Earliest Record
Latest Record
Range (My)
Range (My)
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Definitional History #7
Earliest Record
Latest Record
Range (My)
Range (My)
Range (My)

Definitional History #8
Earliest Record
Latest Record
Range (My)
Range (My)
Range (My)

Definitional History #9
Earliest Record
Latest Record
Range (My)
Range (My)
Range (My)

Definitional History #10
Earliest Record
Latest Record
Range (My)
Range (My)
Range (My)