Re: Hello and a question about Iguanodon mantelli

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-08-19 16:34:12 EDT, redledger@cableinet.co.uk (Helen
Anderson) writes:

<< but the Maidstone Slab, which was accepted by many people
 to be the type species of Iguanodon mantelli ('Description of some
 Iguanodon-remains indicating a new species, I. Seelyi' Hulke, 1882,
 Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 135-144 plus plates - see
 p144 - there is a footnote which reads:
 
 "The Iguanodon indicated by the remains in the well-known slab figured
 in the Foss. Rept. of the Cretaceous formations, pls. xxiii. xxiv., is
 taken as the type of I. mantelli"
 
 The name mantelli seems to have gone but Dinogeorge has filled in a lot
 of the gaps for me - see his recent posting about Mantell.  I. Seelyi
 was really I. bernissartensis, I understand. >>

This is a nice find: Hulke 1882's paper predates Lydekker's 1888 catalogue,
and Hulke evidently designates the Maidstone slab as the type of _I.
mantelli_. Now I see why Lydekker catalogued it this way. So my account of
the Maidstone slab should be corrected to credit Hulke 1882 with erroneously
designating the slab as the type specimen of _I. mantelli_ rather than
Lydekker 1888. I'll have to check to see whether Tracy has a copy of the
Hulke paper on _I. seelyi_; my own copy is still back in Buffalo.

Synonymy of _I. seelyi_ with _I. bernissartensis_ is commonly accepted but I
don't recall that anyone ever formally established this. Again, my memory may
be playing tricks, but it's worth checking.