Re: Serendipaceratops confirmed as Australian Early Cretaceous ceratopsian (free pdf)

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com

Now officially published and free in open access:


Thomas H. Rich, Benjamin P. Kear, Robert Sinclair, Brenda
Chinnery,Kenneth Carpenter, Mary L. McHugh & Patricia Vickers-Rich
(2014)
Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei Rich & Vickers-Rich, 2003 is an
Australian Early Cretaceous ceratopsian.
Alcheringa 38: 456–479
DOI:10.1080/03115518.2014.894809
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2014.894809#.VEfaJvnF_To

pdf:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03115518.2014.894809



On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 8:19 AM, Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com> wrote:
> From: Ben Creisler
> bcreisler@gmail.com
>
> A new new online paper:
>
>
> Thomas H. Rich, Benjamin P. Kear, Robert Sinclair, Brenda Chinnery,
> Kenneth Carpenter, Mary L. McHugh & Patricia Vickers-Rich (2014)
> Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei Rich & Vickers-Rich, 2003 is an
> Australian Early Cretaceous ceratopsian.
> Alcheringa (advance online publication)
> DOI:10.1080/03115518.2014.894809
> http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2014.894809#.U1p2_PldXeI
>
> Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei is one of Australia’s most enigmatic
> dinosaur taxa. Based on a single ulna recovered from Early Cretaceous
> high-latitude deposits in southeastern Australia, the fossil was
> originally classified as a neoceratopsian, but subsequently reassigned
> to Genasauria indet. because of comparisons with atypical
> thyreophorans. However, a morphometric and structural re-examination
> of the holotype indicates that it is proportionally distinguishable
> among dinosaurians and, indeed, manifests decisive statistical
> compatibility with ceratopsians. Statistical assessment similarly
> yields a synapomorphy that places the taxon robustly within
> Ceratopsia. Most certainly, identification of a unique differential
> character state combination renders S. arthurcclarkei as valid. Its
> affinity with ceratopsians concurs with proliferating records of other
> Laurasian dinosaur lineages from the Southern Hemisphere, and may
> reflect ancient Pangaean dispersals into or out of Gondwana.