EPIPHYSES

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Matt Bonnan wrote...

> Reptiles (and dinos), on the other hand, have epiphyses that do not 
> completely ossify and whose articular surfaces are almost completely 
> made of cartilage.  

Just want to point out that lepidosaurs have epiphyses that 
ossify, and therefore have determinate growth. In fact I think Evans 
and Benton list this as a synapomorphy of the group. 

Can anyone post the full ref for Elzanowski's 1995 (?) abstract on 
oviraptorids? I think this was a _J. Vert. Paleont._ one and was 
mostly about oviraptorids being closer to ornithurines than is 
_Archaeopteryx_. Thanks in advance.

BTW everyone, the current ish of _Palaeontology_ (Vol. 42, 3, July 
1999) is a veritable tetrapod special. No archosaurs, but there are 
papers on albanerpetontids, chigutisaurids, a new family of 
plesiadapiforms and the long awaited dasyurid _Barinya_. The type 
specimen of the latter is, I think, the same thing that features on 
the cover of Hand, Archer and Godthelp's excellent book 
_Riversleigh_. Check out that volume for a fine picture of Paul 
Willis throwing rocks.

"Choopa an yay?"
["Is this yours?"]

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth, Environmental & Physical Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
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