Re: MAASTRICHT CONFERENCE ADDENDA

[chris brochu <cbrochu@fmppr.fmnh.org>]

>Chris Brochu noted that, in referring to Eric Mulder's talk on
>Maastrichtian marine reptiles, I mentioned European thoracosaurines.
>I gather that these were previously unreported. Eric recently wrote
>a paper where he described these specimens (one cervical and two
>lumbar verts). It is...
>
>MULDER, E.W.A. 1997. Thoracosaurine vertebrae (Crocodylia;
>Crocodylidae) from the Maastrichtian type area. _Proc. Koninklijke
>Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen_ (Amsterdam) 100: 161-170.
>

To clarify, what was new to me was any reference to *Cretaceous* European
Thoracosaurus.  Thoracosaurus is known from the Campanian and Maastrichtian
of North America, and some of the best known material (known since the days
of Matheron in the mid-19th century) was from the European Paleocene -
although the Paleocene age of these fossils was not established until the
1920's.

Personally, I would take any ID based on isolated vertebrae very skeptically.



chris

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Christopher Brochu, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Department of Geology
Field Museum of Natural History
Lake Shore Drive at Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL  60605  USA

phone:  312-922-9410, ext. 469
fax:  312-922-9566

cbrochu@fmppr.fmnh.org