Re: Megaraptor

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Justin S Tweet, the Thescelosaurus, wrote:

<Could this Japanese dromaeosaurid be the
informally-named "Kitadanisaurus" we discussed a few
months back?>

  Yes. It's a nomen nudum, though, one so briefly
mentioned that an illustration, description, and even
sup. data on were not offered. It's a name, applied to
a large dromie from southern Honshu, I believe. Other
than that, you'll have to wait for the Japanese to get
around to working on the material. This applies to
every other Japanese and quite a few Chinese taxa, as
well, with the sole exception of *Nipponosaurus,* from
Sakhalin, Russia, which for a brief time was held as
territory of Japan.

  That's it in a nutshell. African dromies may or may
not be dromies, so on. There's tons of stuff I'm
grinding my teeth other, not the least of which is the
Sandy "ovi?" material. Here's more.

-----

  Incidentally, Megaraptor, the dromie taxa _do_ tend
to get big, but only along one clade: Dromaeosaurinae,
or more basal. Velociraptorines, as far known, appear
to get _smaller_ later we go. Dromies seem to have
started out radiating big forms ("Kitadani.," Utah.,
and the undetirmined african stuff, all for animals
about twenty feet long. These animals are Barrenmian,
almost at the J/K boundary, up to the Aptian-Albian,
which is at the end of the EK; Mike Keesey's and Jeff
Poling's sites have got the geoscales down pat, and
offer Ages and such to help pinpoint their ages. Check
'em out.

===
Jaime A. Headden

"May I lure us, ere the mote ends us?"

Qilong, the we---is temporarily out of service.
Please check back when the phone lines are no
longer busy.
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com