In 1999 Michael Benton concluded that Scleromochlus was indeed outside Gauthier's original conception of Ornithodira, so he named a new branch-based clade for this purpose: Avemetatarsalia, named after the birds (Aves), the last surviving members of the clade, and the metatarsal ankle joint that was a typical character of the group.
En 1999 Michael Benton concluíu que Scleromochlus quedaba fóra da concepción orixinal de Gauthier de Ornithodira, polo que nomeou un novo clado baseado na rama para este propósito: Avemetatarsalia, nomeado a partir dos últimos membros superviventes do clado, as Aves, e pola articulación do nocello metatarsal que era un carácter típico do grupo.