This taxon is considered inactive, because there is little support for the taxon under its original apomorphy-based definition. Arctometatarsalia was coined as the flagship taxon to reorganize theropod phylogeny (Holtz 1994). Holtz coined and defined Arctometatarsalia as the first theropod with the arctometatarsalian condition and all of its descendants, an incomplete definition (as there is no specific internal specifier mentioned). He intended the clade to include Ornithomimosauria, Tyrannosauridae, Troodontidae, Elmisauridae and Avimimus but to exclude Dromaeosauridae and birds.

Later Holtz (1996) replaced this form-qualified definition with a simple stem-based definition: the clade composed of Ornithomimus and all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestor with Ornithomimus than with birds. Subsequently Holtz (2000) replaced the vulgar term “birds” with Neornithes.

The new taxonimic content of the taxon, however, no longer resembles the original, which was the signpost for a radically different phylogenetic hypothesis within Coelurosauria (see Ornithomimosauria). Because other taxa are available that do not have this history, Arctometatarrsalia is here regarded as inactive.