BRACH GASTROLITHS, NEW CERATOPIANS AND THE ANTI-BAKKERIAN HOSTILITY OF G. DYKE......

["D.W.Naish" <dwn194@soton.ac.uk>]

SEVERAL THINGS; (read down for thrilling new ankylosaur installment..)

(Thanks for getting back to me on the 'third time lucky'..)

BRACHIOSAURUS GASTROLITHS

In a paper published in 1929, Janesch reported on gastroliths he found
associated with the skeletal remains of Upper Jurassic Tanzanain sauropods.
Brachiosaurus brancai, as you may well know, was one of the Upper Jurassic
Tanzanian sauropods he found and thus a link between the two might well be found
in this paper (I can't read German).

PHYTODINOSAURIA 

G. Dyke thinks it's really cool to slag off any of Bakker's ideas because he
hangs out with palaeontologists who are 100% anti-Bakker. Don't take any notice
of him! The verifiable possibility  of a monophyletic Phytodinosauria remains
a slim, possibly provable possibility. Possibly! But me thinks not, seeing as
monophyly of Saurischia is now as well entrenched as it is .....
well, pending new clad. analyses....
(come on now Gareth, it had to happen.....).

ASINIOSAURUS

or whatever it's called. This new ceratopian was named together with another  
one which has the specific name 'horneri'. Asiniosaurus might be the new name
given to what was previously named as a species of Styracosaurus. The animal  
had an odd, decurved nose horn and only ?four marginals round its frill. Then
again, it could be something completely different ... in that case what's the
new name given to the 'Styracosaurus'? (It was just fine as a Styracosaurus
species, dinosaur genera are always being oversplit!)

NEW ANKYLOSAURS AND THEIR SHORT LEGS

OK, OK.... yes, ankylosaurs (particularly some nodosaurids) have short arms -
 but not legs! Mymoorapelta maysi is the name given to Kirkland's new Morrison
ankylosaur. It has short arms. An exciting new possibilty (currently being
written up by ?Carpenter and others) is that 'nodosaurids' with big, lateral
tail spikes belong to a different family - the Polacanthidae. This was
previously diagnosed in the 19th century but since been sunk into Nodosauridae.
It would include Mymoorapelta, Polacanthus and ?Sauropelta...

I understand that Kirkland has just discovered another new Morrison ankylosaur,
which has now been named. Can anyone help?

I think that Minmi paravertebra is distinct enough from all other ankylosaurs
to merit its own group.....

OLSHEVSKY

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can someone send me a copy of 'The birds first' by
Olshevsky. Omni is dam near impossible to get in this country.
If you can send me a copy, tell me so on dwn194@soton.ac.uk
Mail to:

DARREN NAISH
77 ATHELSTAN RD
BITTERNE
SOUTHAMPTON
SO19 4DE