UNSERRATED THEROPOD TEETH

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

On the presence of unserrated non-premaxillary teeth in theropods, 
George wrote..

> Speaking of unserrated teeth, I'm pretty sure the small theropod
> _Archaeornithoides deinosauriscus_ had such. 

Unfortunately I don't know the taxa well enough, or have the right 
literature to hand, to be sure.. but I know that _Compsognathus_ and
_Ornitholestes_ lack serrations on at least some of their 
(non-premaxillary?) teeth. Simple checking of the literature would 
confirm/refute this. Of course, _Spinosaurus_, _Irritator_ and 
_Angaturama_ all lack serrations on their teeth: one of several weak 
characters supporting an affinity between them. 

Premaxillary teeth are definitely unserrated in _Ceratosaurus_: in 
fact in that genus there are no carinae on these teeth either. The 
same may go for other ceratosaurs (I think I recall that 
_Coelophysis_ and _Syntarsus_ have unserrated premaxillary teeth), 
and I have definitely seen this in some new non-ceratosaurian 
theropod taxa. 

You people with all the literature to hand as you write are at such 
an advantage.

"I never saw any blind-spot when I was driving"
"Well what are you - blind? It's there..."

DARREN NAISH
darren.naish@port.ac.uk