A new compsognathid nests as the basalmost tyrannosaur in the LRT
Qiu et al. 2025 described a new compsognathid,
Huadanosaurus sinensis (Figs 1–3, IVPP V14202), which nests in the large reptile tree (LRT, 2338 taxa, subset Fig 4) as THE compsognathid basal to all the tested tyrannosaurs.
The skull is relatively large, as noted by the authors.
Figure 1. Huadanosaurus insitu (below) compared to reconstruction of the holotype of Compsognathus (above) to scale.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg?w=175″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-91861″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Huadanosaurus insitu (below) compared to reconstruction of the holotype of Compsognathus (above) to scale.” width=”584″ height=”1000″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg?w=584&h=1000 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg?w=88&h=150 88w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg?w=175&h=300 175w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.insitu588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Huadanosaurus insitu (below) compared to reconstruction of the holotype of Compsognathus (above) to scale. The authors used DGS to color and reorder the insitu fingers of Huadanosaurus. Note the scale bars do not match the description. I used a published manusript.
The authors wrote,
“Although Huadanosaurus shares some characters with tyrannosauroids, such as the fused nasals at the midline, strongly labially deflected distal carina on lateral teeth, a prominent surangular shelf on the lateral surface of surangular, and a longitudinal ridge above the supracetabular crest on the lateral surface of ilium, the phylogenetic results suggest that these characters can also be found in several theropods from different lineages.”
Figure 2. The skull of Huadanosaurus reconstructed from DGS tracings. Colors added here.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg?w=229″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-91863″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. The skull of Huadanosaurus reconstructed from DGS tracings. Colors added here. ” width=”584″ height=”765″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg?w=584&h=765 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg?w=115&h=150 115w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg?w=229&h=300 229w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.skull588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. The skull of Huadanosaurus reconstructed from DGS tracings. Colors added here. Note the dorsal quadratojugal in contact with the squamosal in the tyrannosaur fashion.
Apparently
Qiu et al considered composgnathids as a clade distinct and separate from tyrannosaurids, thus any similarities were due to convergence.
Figure 3. Huadanosaurus to scale with related Tianyuraptor and Fukiagnathus at the base of the clade of tyrannosaurs in the LRT.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg?w=584″ class=”wp-image-91867 size-full” src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg” alt=”Figure 3. Huadanosaurus to scale with related Tianyuraptor and Huaxiagnathus at the base of the clade of tyrannosaurs in the LRT. ” width=”584″ height=”418″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg?w=584&h=418 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg?w=150&h=107 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg?w=300&h=215 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tianyuraptor_skull_recon588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Huadanosaurus to scale with related Tianyuraptor and Huaxiagnathus at the base of the clade of tyrannosaurs in the LRT. (See figure 4).
By contrast,
compsognathids in the LRT (subset Fig 4) are basal to several clades of generally larger theropods, including tyrannosaurs. Under the LRT hypothesis, tyrannosaur traits found in Huadanosaurus are early appearances of these traits.
So, not convergent.
Figure 4. Subset of the LRT focusing on Huadanosaurus and its compsognathid relatives.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg?w=158″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg?w=540″ class=”size-full wp-image-91865″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg” alt=”Figure 4. Subset of the LRT focusing on Huadanosaurus and its compsognathid relatives. ” width=”584″ height=”1107″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg?w=584&h=1107 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg?w=79&h=150 79w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg?w=158&h=300 158w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/huadanosaurus.cladogram588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 4. Subset of the LRT focusing on Huadanosaurus and its compsognathid relatives.
Wikipedia – Huadanosaurus reported,
“at least parts of the animal were covered in reddish-brown feather-like filaments.”
Figure 1. Taxa in the lineage of Tyrannosaurus from Compsognathus. Fukuivenator is a transitional taxon in this lineage, nesting with Tianyuraptor. These taxa indicate an East Asian origin for this clade.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg?w=98″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg?w=335″ class=”size-full wp-image-79016″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Taxa in the lineage of Tyrannosaurus from Compsognathus. Fukuivenator is a transitional taxon in this lineage, nesting with Tianyuraptor. These taxa indicate an East Asian origin for this clade.” width=”584″ height=”1788″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg?w=584&h=1788 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg?w=49&h=150 49w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg?w=98&h=300 98w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/zhenyuanlong_vs_compsognathus.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 5. Taxa in the lineage of Tyrannosaurus from Compsognathus. Fukuivenator is a transitional taxon in this lineage, nesting with Tianyuraptor. These taxa indicate an East Asian origin for this clade. This image is from a years ago, so Huadanosaurus is not included.
Wikipedia – Huadanosaurus reported,
“a 2024 analysis by Andrea Cau proposed that these taxa did not form a natural monophyletic clade and that some are juveniles of larger tetanurans.”
By contrast, the LRT nests these compsognathids (Fig 5) as a monophyletc group, but basal to a radiation of other clades, somewhat similar in location and radiation present in the Solnhofen birds traditionally all referred to Archaeopteryx, coeval with the holotype specimen of Compsognathus (Fig 1).
Adding taxa resolves all phylogenetic issues.
The LRT minimizes phylogenetic issues by including so many taxa.
References
Qiu R et al (4 co-authors) 2025. Two new compsognathid-like theropods show diversified predation strategies in theropod dinosaurs. National Science Review, nwaf068, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf068
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/02/27/a-new-compsognathid-nests-as-the-basalmost-tyrannosaur-in-the-lrt/
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