From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coeluridae is a (probably paraphyletic) family of generally small, carnivorous dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. For many years, any small Jurassic or Cretaceous theropod that did not belong to one of the more specialized families recognized at the time was classified with the coelurids, creating a confusing array of 'coelurid' theropods that were not closely related. Some dinosaurs mistakenly assigned to Coeluridae in the past include Stenonychosaurus (a troodontid) and Microvenator (a close relative of oviraptorids). A modified version of the traditional approach is used in the Taxobox of this entry. Although they are all superficially similar, there is no evidence that Ornitholestes, Proceratosaurus and/or Scipionyx form a clade with Coelurus to the exclusion of other traditional coelurosaur families. Many authors consider Compsognathidae a separate family.
In 2003, O.W.M. Rauhut redefined Coeluridae to include Coelurus (Late Jurassic, North America), Compsognathus (Late Jurassic, Europe), Sinosauropteryx (Early Cretaceous, Asia) and an unnamed Compsognathus-like form (Early Cretaceous, South America; this dinosaur has since been placed in the new genus Mirischia). Rauhut considered coelurids to be a monophyletic group of basal coelurosaurs, characterized by evolutionary reversals in some aspects of the vertebrae to the more primitive theropod condition. Other traits that potentially define Coeluridae are uncertain because the genus Coelurus is still incompletely known.
