Daurlong enters the LRT with Zhenyuanlong, but not with dromaesaurids

Wan et al 2022 report,
“Dromaeosaurids were bird-like dinosaurs with a predatory ecology known to forage on fish, mammals and other dinosaurs. We describe Daurlong wangi gen. et sp. nov., a dromaeosaurid from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Biota of Inner Mongolia, China.”

Like Wan et al, the large reptile tree (LRT, 2173 taxa) also nests Daurlong with Zhenyuanlong but in the lineage of Tyrannosaurus, with many traits convergent with dromaeosaurids, according to the LRT. Taxon exclusion mars the Wan et al theropod study.

The intestinal preservation is interesting, but the phylogenetic context needs more taxa. Figure 2 indicates relatively little attention to detail was undertaken to identify skull elements by Wan et al and the authors assumed a dromaeosaurid hypothesis by focusing on a few traits. We call this “Pulling a Larry Martin“. Minimize taxon omission to avoid this problem.

That’s why the authors gave Daurlong a ‘killer claw’ and retroverted pubis it did not have. That’s why the ignored the twin lacrimal crests and the more robust cervicals.

As Daurlong and Zhenyuanlong demonstrate
tyrannosaur ancestors were also bird-like dinosaurs.

References
Wan X, Cau A, Guo B, Ma F, Qing G and Liu Y 2022. Intestinal preservation in a birdlike dinosaur supports conservatism in digestive canal evolution among theropods. Nature scientific reports. 12:19965 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24602-x

wiki/Daurlong – not yet posted