The Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism (2018)

dataset updated fromGao et al. (2012); 4) Zanno (2010), which was a therizinosaur-heavy update of the Turner et al. (2007a) dataset; and 5) Lamanna et al. (2014), a dataset focusing on oviraptorosaurs updated from Longrich et al. (2013). Statistical baraminological analysis of these datasets was conducted through BDISTMDS (Wood 2008). A 0.75 character relevance cutoff (CRC) was used in all cases. All results were visualized through baraminic distance correlation (BDC) and 3D multidimensional scaling (MDS). In general, we tried to retain as many taxa as possible in the analyses while still keeping at least 100 characters (although we ran Zanno (2010) with 85 characters). This decision resulted in varying taxic relevance cutoff (TRC) values from analysis to analysis (Table 1). We added the basal therizinosaur Jianchangosaurus to the Zanno (2010) matrix as coded by Pu et al. (2013). RESULTS 1. Brusatte et al. (2014) Results The first attempt at analyzing the Brusatte et al. (2014) dataset resulted in poor resolution for discontinuities within non-avian Coelurosauria (Fig. 17). The BDC shows one large block of positive correlation containing the non-avian coelurosaurs and a second smaller block of positive correlation containing the six extant bird taxa ( Anas , Chauna , Crax , Gallus , Crypturellus , and Lithornis ), Apsaravis , Hesperornis , and Ichthyornis . Most of these taxa also shared positive correlation with the more “basal” avialans in the analysis (e.g., Saperornis , Jeholornis , and Confuciusornis ). These “basal” avialans share positive correlation with non-avialan paravian taxa, and some of the “basal” avialans even share positive correlation with non-paravian coelurosaurs. The block containing modern birds shares negative correlation with almost every non- avian coelurosaur taxon in the analysis. The 3D MDS results (Fig. 18) show avialan taxa clustered toward the top, and an especially tight cluster near the top of the figure corresponds to the smaller bird block of positive correlation from the BDC. We suspected that the modern bird + Apsaravis + Ichthyornis + Hesperornis block of taxa was so different from the rest of the coelurosaurs, that its presence was masking evidence for discontinuities among the non-avian coelurosaurs; so, we removed this block of taxa from the analysis and ran it again, a technique commonly used in statistical baraminological analyses (e.g., Aaron 2014a; 2014b; Garner 2016; Wood 2005; Wood 2011). After removing these taxa, the new analysis included 124 characters and 64 taxa. Four main blocks of positive correlation are evident in the BDC (Fig. 19): 1) Tyrannosauroidea, 2) Oviraptorosauria + Therizinosauroidea, 3) Basal Coelurosauria + Ornithomimosauria + Alvarezsauroidea, and 4) Paraves. Analysis of just the Paraves block (100 characters, 23 taxa) resulted in two main blocks of positive correlation in the BDC (Fig. 20): 1) avialans and 2) a Dromaeosauridae + Troodontidae + Archaeopteryx block (although there is some positive correlation between Archaeopteryx + Balaur and Sapeornis + Confuciusornis . The MDS results (Fig. 21) are difficult to interpret. Balaur and Zanabazar are both positioned far away from the other taxa in multidimensional space. We decided to analyze the tyrannosauroids and basal coelurosaurs together (164 characters, 21 taxa, 0.25 TRC) since there is positive correlation between these blocks in the second Brusatte et al. (2014) analysis. The BDC (Fig. 22) shows three blocks of McLain et al. ◀ Feathered dinosaurs reconsidered ▶ 2018 ICC 480 Figure 12. Vertebral column of Jianianhualong tengi . a) Neck and torso; b) tail with obvious feathers. From Xu et al. (2017), obtained via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0.