Transylvanian Dinosaurs

by David B Weishampel

  Theoretical morphology: The field of evolutionary biology that involves the mathematical simulation of organic morphogenesis and an analysis of the possible spectrum of organic form via hypothetical morphospace construction.

  Theria: A node-based taxon defined as the most recent common ancestor of the modern American opossum (Didelphis americana) and humans (Homo sapiens), and all the descendants of this ancestor. This clade is diagnosed by the presence of a suprascapular fossa on the scapula, the absence of shelled eggs for reproduction, mammary glands, and a coiling of the cochlea in the inner ear, among other characters (Novacek et al. 1988).

  Therizinosauroidea: A node-based taxon defined as the least inclusive clade containing Therizinosaurus and Beipiaosaurus, diagnosed by a toothless premaxilla with a sharp, ventrally projecting rim; a greatly elongated external naris; a palate with greatly elongated vomers and rostrally reduced pterygoids; a greatly enlarged and pneumatized basicranium; laterally compressed, symmetrical maxillary and dentary teeth with coarse serrations and cylindrical roots; modifications of the wrist and the hand; a deep and long preacetabular process of the ilium that flares outward at a right angle to the sagittal plane; and short and broad metatarsals, among other features. Other therizinosauroids include Alxasaurus, Segnosaurus, and Nothronychus (Clark et al. 2004).

  Theropoda: The predatory dinosaurs, a stem-based clade defined as all saurischians more closely related to Passer domesticus (the living English sparrow) than to Cetiosaurus oxoniensis. Diagnosing this clade are modifications of the palate to accommodate cranial air sinuses, a reduction in the overlap of the dentary and postdentary bones in the mandible to form an intramandibular joint, considerable pneumatization of the vertebral column and the long bones, and a substantial transformation of the hand (a greatly reduced digit V, closely appressed proximal shafts of metacarpals I-III, and deep extensor pits on metacarpals I-III), among other features. Included among the theropods are Ceratosaurus, Allosaurus, Velociraptor, and birds. Tetanurae, Avetheropoda, and Maniraptora are sequential, less inclusive clades within Theropoda (Holtz and Osmólska 2004).

  Tibiotarsus (pl. tibiotarsi): A long bone in the leg of a bird, formed by the fusion of the tibia with the proximal bones of the tarsus (the ankle bones).

  Titanosauria: A stem-based taxon defined as those sauropods more closely related to Saltasaurus than to Brachiosaurus, diagnosed by a prominent caudolateral expansion of the caudal end of the sternal plate and an extremely robust radius and ulna. Other titanosaurs include Argentinosaurus, Rapetosaurus, and Opisthocoelicaudia (Upchurch et al. 2004).

  Transgression: In a geologic context, the spread of the sea over land areas.

  Troodontidae: A stem-based taxon defined as all taxa closer to Troodon formosus than to Velociraptor mongoliensis. This clade is diagnosed by a neurovascular groove on the outer face of the dentary, a caudal pneumatic foramen in the quadrate, the loss of the basisphenoid recess on the basicranium, a large number of teeth, a sulcus on the dorsal midline of the distal caudal vertebrae, and an asymmetrical ankle and foot, among other features. Other troodontids include Byronosaurus and Saurornithoides (Makovicky and Norell 2004).

  Trophic: Of or relating to nutrition.

  Typostrophy: The theory that the pathway of evolution within a taxon goes through stages analogous to the ontogenetic stages of organisms. Thus, there is the origin of a taxon (birth), diversification (growth), degeneration (senescence), and extinction (death).

  Tyrannosauroidea: A stem-based taxon defined as the clade of theropods sharing a more recent common ancestor with Tyrannosaurus rex than with Ornithomimus velox, Deinonychus antirrhopus, or Allosaurus fragilis. This clade is diagnosed by characteristics of the lower jaw and by pelvic modifications, among other features. Other tyrannosauroids include Eotyrannus, Gorgosaurus, and Daspletosaurus (Holtz 2004).

  Vardar Sea: A small oceanic basin, located in present-day Macedonia, that probably opened sometime in the Middle Jurassic and closed in the latest Cretaceous or early Tertiary.

  Zero-sum game: A game in which the reward for winning is fixed and can only be won by one of the two players; that is, there can be only one winner and one loser.

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