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RE: Dinosauria II recieved!
I got my copy today as well. After flipping through, here are some initial
thoughts-
The theropod chapters are VERY well done. It's so relieving to see all of
these current ideas in book form. IGM 100/42 isn't called Oviraptor,
"Szechuanoraptor" (as "Szechuanosaurus" zigongensis) is a basal tetanurine,
the phylogenies are current. The illustrations are improved, and fans of
GSP skeletals won't be disappointed. Shanyangosaurus is said to have
characters seen in oviraptorosaurs, which has only been suggested in my
Details on... post to my knowledge, so maybe I have Holtz to thank for that.
The bird chapter is very short, but includes Jibeinia! On the other hand,
it doesn't include any other birds named in Hou's book (Cuspirostrisornis,
Songlingornis, etc.) or Incolornis, Abavornis and Catenoleirmus. Sinraptor
dongi is mispelled S. heping in the taxonomic section. Paul's Deinonychus
skeletal and skull should have been used instead of Ostrom's (with the
hypothetical short coracoid and vertical pubis).
Blikanosaurus is a sauropod in the book, but Anchisaurus, Melanorosaurus
etc. aren't. The prosauropod chapter has mostly repeated illustrations, but
does provide phylogenetic definitions of several taxa, and names a new one.
Anchisauria is (Anchisaurus + Melanorosaurus), which is close in content to
Sauropoda in Yates' topology.
I can't wait to read the taxon comments in the Sauropoda chapter, though
they are less descriptive than McIntosh's.
Galton and Upchurch retain Dravidosaurus as a stegosaur because "the skull
and plates are certainly not plesiosaurian." Hmm.
Most of the ornithischian chapters seem less improved, with the exception of
the basal ornithopods and basal ceratopsian chapters (the latter didn't
exist before). It appears Norman et al. didn't include iguanodonts as an
OTU in their basal ornithopod analysis though, which would really screw with
the results.
There's a lot more non-taxonomic stuff than before as well. It will take a
while to read this thing. I'm also awaiting the data matrices with
anticipation.
Mickey Mortimer