A Guide to the Dinosaurs of Colorado
On Dinosaur Classification
On Scientific Names
The Basics of Taxonomy
An Introduction to Cladistcs
Taxonomy of the Dinosaurs of Colorado
Cladogram of the Dinosaurs of Colorado
About the Dinosaurs of Colorado
Geological
Time Chart
    

Cladogram of the Dinosaurs of Colorado

Cladograms are useful for depicting the phylogenetic relationships between various taxa. As a result, they can be quite long when more than a few taxa are to be represented. Linaean taxonomies showing the same number of taxa are much shorter, but fail to clearly depict their evolutionary history.

As long as this list is, it is greatly condensed to show only the relationships between dinosaurs known to have occurred in Colorado, plus a few familiar forms from outside the state. For a much more complete cladogram of (virtually) all known dinosaurs and some of their closest relatives, see the classification section of The Dinosauricon, by T. Mike Keesey. 

--Dinosauria
  |--Saurischia
  |  |--Sauropodomorpha
  |  |  |--Prosauropoda
  |  |  `--Sauropoda
  |  |     |--Vulcanodontidae
  |  |     `--Eusauropoda
  |  |        `--Neosauropoda
  |  |           |-->Haplocanthosaurus
  |  |           |--Diplodocimorpha
  |  |           |  |--Rebbachisauridae
  |  |           |  `--Diplodocoidea
  |  |           |     |--Dicraeosauridae
  |  |           |     `--Diplodocidae
  |  |           |        |--Apatosaurinae
  |  |           |        |  `-->Apatosaurus
  |  |           |        `--Diplodocinae
  |  |           |           |-->Barosaurus
  |  |           |           `--+-->Diplodocus
  |  |           |              `-->Supersaurus
  |  |           `--Macronaria
  |  |              |--Titanosauriformes
  |  |              |  |--Titanosauria
  |  |              |  `--Brachiosauridae
  |  |              |     `-->Brachiosaurus
  |  |              `--Camarasauromorpha
  |  |                 `--Camarasauridae
  |  |                    `-->Camarasaurus
  |  `-->Theropoda
  |      `--+--Herrerasauria
  |         `--Neotheropoda
  |            |--Ceratosauria
  |            |  |--Coelophysoidea
  |            |  |  `--Coelophysidae
  |            |  |     |--Procompsognathinae
  |            |  |     `--Coelophysinae
  |            |  |        `-->Coelophysis
  |            |  `--Neoceratosauria
  |            |     |-->Ceratosaurus
  |            |     `--Abelisauroidea
  |            `--Tetanurae
  |               |--Torvosauridae
  |               |  `-->Torvosaurus
  |               |--Spinosauria
  |               `--Neotetanurae
  |                  |--Carnosauria
  |                  |  `--Allosauroidea
  |                  |     |--Sinraptoridae
  |                  |     `--Allosauridae
  |                  |        `--Allosaurinae
  |                  |           |?->Epanterias
  |                  |           `-->Allosaurus
  |                  `--Coelurosauria
  |                     `--Maniraptoriformes
  |                        |?-Ornitholestes
  |                        |?-Coeluridae
  |                        |  `-->Coelurus
  |                        |?-Compsognathidae
  |                        |--Arctometatarsalia
  |                        |  `--Ornithomimosauria
  |                        |     `--Ornithomimidae
  |                        |        `--Ornithomiminae
  |                        |           `--Ornithomimini
  |                        |              `-->Ornithomimus
  |                        |--Maniraptora
  |                        |  |--Oviraptorosauria
  |                        |  `--Eumaniraptora
  |                        |     |--Deinonychosauria
  |                        |     |  `--Dromaeosauridae
  |                        |     |     |--Dromaeosaurinae
  |                        |     |     |  `-->Dromaeosaurus
  |                        |     |     `--Velociraptorinae
  |                        |     |        |-->Deinonychus
  |                        |     |        `-->Velociraptor
  |                        |     `--Avialae
  |                        |        `--Aves
  |                        |           |--Archaeopterygiformes
  |                        |           |  `-->Archaeopteryx
  |                        |           `--Ornithurae
  |                        `--Tyrannosauroidea
  |                           |?->Stokesosaurus
  |                           `--Tyrannosauridae
  |                              `--Tyrannosaurinae
  |                                 `--+-->Albertosaurus
  |                                    `--Tyrannosaurini
  |                                       `-->Tyrannosaurus
  `-->Ornithischia
     `--Genasauria
        |-->Echinodon
        |--Cerapoda
        |  |--Marginocephalia
        |  |  |--Pachycephalosauria
        |  |  `--Ceratopsia
        |  |     |--Psittacosauria
        |  |     `--Neoceratopsia
        |  |        `--Coronosauria
        |  |           `--Ceratopsoidea
        |  |              `--Ceratopsomorpha
        |  |                 `--Ceratopsidae
        |  |                    |--Centrosaurinae
        |  |                    `--Ceratopsinae
        |  |                       `--Triceratops
        |  |--Heterodontosauridae
        |  `--Ornithopoda
        |     `--+--Zephyrosauridae
        |        |--Othnieliidae
        |        |  `--Othnieliinae
        |        |     `-->Othnielia
        |        `--Euornithopoda
        |           |--Hypsilophodontia
        |           `--Iguanodontia
        |              `--Euiguanodontia
        |                 `--Dryomorpha
        |                    |--Dryosauridae
        |                    |  `-->Dryosaurus
        |                    `--Ankylopollexia
        |                       |--Camptosauridae
        |                       |  `-->Camptosaurus
        |                       `--Styracosterna
        |                          `--Iguanodontoidea
        |                             |-->Iguanodon
        |                             `--Hadrosauroidea
        `--Thyreophora
           `--Thyreophoroidea
              `--Eurypoda
                 |--Stegosauria
                 |  |--Huayangosauridae
                 |  `--Stegosauridae
                 |     `--+--Kentrosaurus
                 |        `--+--Chialingosaurus
                 |           `--Stegosaurinae
                 |              `--Stegosaurini
                 |                 `-->Stegosaurus
                 `--Ankylosauria

Notes:

Two genera listed in the Dinosaurs of Colorado do not show in the above cladogram. Marshosaurus is a large theropod from the Morrison Formation of Colorado and Utah. Its exact place in the cladogram s not known at this time. The Dinosauricon lists it tentatively under the Neotetanurae.

Ultrasaurus is a name given in 1985 to a sauropod, probably a brachiosaurid, from the Morrison Formation of Colorado. However, the same name was given earlier, in 1983, to a South Korean sauropod, and the earier usage takes precedence. The name of the Colorado specimen was later changed to Ultrasauros, but it remains unclear whether this represents a valid taxon.

Information compiled by Donald L. Blanchard

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