NEW 'SHASTASAURID'

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

I recently saw a paper on a new European cymbospondyline 
ichthyosaur that has been named _Belanosaurus_. Does anyone have a 
ref for this? Incidentally, I put 'shastasaurid' in commas because of 
Motani's recent assertion that the group is polyphyletic.

One more thing.. thanks once again to Ralph for his new references 
list.. Lingham-Soliar and Rief (1998) talk about fast scombrid-like 
swimming in ichthyosaurs. I will not comment on this without having 
read it, but please note that some ichthyologists have pointed out 
that scombrids (and other scombroids) are not normally as fast as we 
usually think they are. They actually spend most of their time 
cruising around quite slowly (at the same speed as big gadids 
according to Carey and Block) and are exhibiting a hyperactive escape 
response when caught in field speed tests. This hyperactivity also 
explains the very elevated temperature often recorded in field tested 
scombrids. I'm not saying that this _is_ actually the case - just 
that it's what some ichthyologists have said.

So maybe thunniform ichthyosaurs were the same. Plus remember that 
scombroids have an unusual plate-shaped vertebra supporting 
their caudal fin *and* a unique hinge mechanism in the caudal 
verts... no ichthyosaur does.

"I know nothing"

DARREN NAISH
darren.naish@port.ac.uk