NEW BARYONYCHID MATERIAL

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

Interestingly coincidental to the controversy surrounding the
affinities of _Irritator_ and _Angaturama_ is the following paper,
just in. It _might_ be the 'truth' behind the 'new baryonychid' rumour
I mentioned a while back..

MARTILL, D.M. and HUTT, S. 1996. Possible baryonychid dinosaur teeth
from the Wessex Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the Isle of
Wight, England.  Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 107:81-84

With 35 serrations per mm (same as _Baryonx walkeri_) and longitudinal
faceting (fluting of Charig & Milner), the few teeth described can
only be diagnosed to the family Baryonychidae, and more specific
allocation is not attempted (sensibly). The teeth are placed in
historic perspective and differentiated from a second theropod tooth
morphology found on the Isle of Wight - also laterally compressed and
recurved but with smooth labial and lingual surfaces and with coarse
serrations. The latter (traditionally referred to _Megalosaurus_) may
be from the new allosauroid currently still in preparation, and from
which fairly complete remains are known (this is the one on display at
the Sandown Museum of Isle of Wight Geology).

Martill and Hutt are yet another group of authors to disagree with a
_Baryonx_- _Spinosaurus_ affinity: they maintain that the
smooth-carinae of _S_ are too disparate from any other theropod to
indicate affinity. Furthermore, that the type material is lost
(=destroyed) means that referral of subsequent material to the taxon
is very dubious, they state.

Baryonychidae is therefore expanded a bit more in time and
space. 'Baryonychidae were not just restricted to Europe, or indeed to
the Barremian. It is therefore highly likely that baryonychid skeletal
remains will turn up on the Isle of Wight' (p. 84).

Tom will be a little displeased to learn that he is now 'Holz' in the
reference list. Time to become Tim Holz, Tom... (tay tat tree times).

"A back handed slap? From a carnivore?"

DARREN NAISH