Scipionyx - Phylogeny

Phylogeny

Scipionyx was by the describers assigned to the Coelurosauria, a group of theropods. Because the only remains recovered belong to that of a juvenile, it has proven difficult to assign this dinosaur to a more specific group. One problem is that in the build of a juvenile animal the original traits of ancestor groups are more likely to be expressed, suggesting a too basal position in the evolutionary tree. Part of the 2011 monograph was a cladistic analysis which indicated that Scipionyx was a basal member of the Compsognathidae and the sister species of Orkoraptor. Dal Sasso & Maganuco emphasised that, due to its limited remains, the position of Orkoraptor is tentative.

This cladogram shows the position of Scipionyx in the coelurosaurian tree, according to the 2011 study: