| Abstract | We present a phylogenetic analysis of coelurosaurian taxa to elucidate relationships within Dromaeosauridae. The results of the analysis indicate that Dromaeosauridae (defined as all taxa phylogenetically bracketed by Velociraptor and Dromaeosaurus) includes a monotypic Velocriaptorinae (consisting only of Velociraptor mongoliensis) and a speciose Dromaeosaurinae (in which Adasaurus, Saurornitholestes, Deinonychus, Achillobator, and Utahraptor are successively more closely related to Dromaeosaurus) . Microraptoria, the sister taxon to Dromaeosauridae, includes Microraptor zhaoianus (= "Microraptor gui" =" Cryptovolans pauli") , NGMC 91, Sinornithosaurus, and Bambiraptor. We also find that Sinovenator is a basal deinonychosaur, Aves is sister taxon to Sinovenator+ (Microraptoria+Dromaeosauridae) , and troodontids are more closely related to ornithomimids than to deinonychosaurs. The distribution of character states related to arboreality and aerial locomotion suggests that these behavioral traits arose independently in Aves and Microraptoria.
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