羅伯特·巴克
Neotheropoda was named by Robert T. Bakker in 1986 as a group including the relatively derived theropod subgroups Ceratosauria and Tetanurae, and excluding coelophysoids. However, most later researchers have used it to denote a broader group. Neotheropoda was first defined as a clade by Paul Sereno in 1998 as "Coelophysis" plus modern birds, which includes almost all theropods except the most primitive species. Dilophosauridae was formerly considered a small clade within Neotherpoda, but was later considered to paraphyletic.