RE: New Paper

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Jerry D. Harris
>
> Hi All -
>
>         Just got a look at the following:
>
> Chiappe, L.M., Ji, S., Ji, Q., and Norell, M.A. 1999. Anatomy and
> systematics of the Confuciusornithidae (Theropoda: Aves) from the Late
> Mesozoic of northeastern China. _Bulletin of the American Museum
> of Natural
> History_ 242: 1-89.
>
> If you like photos of these birdies, you'll love this paper.  I haven't
> read it yet, but  a few things jump out:  it sinks _C. chuonzhous_ and _C.
> suniae_ into _C. sanctus_; there's some photos and a short discussion on
> forgeries, and, of course, the phylogenetics of basal birds.
>

A good monograph.  Unfortunately the details of the phylogenetic analysis
are not presented, only the results.  The analysis itself is one of several
papers (this particular one by Chiappe) in press at the forthcoming Chiappe
& Witmer (editors) book on Mesozoic birds (U Cal Press).  Others cited
include:
Chiappe & Walker, on skeletal morphology & systematics of Cretaceous
enantiornithines
Chiappe, Norell & Clark on alvarezsaurids
Novas & Pol, also on alvarezsaurids (happen to know more details about this
one... can't talk about it, though)

and of interest to a lot of folks here:

Rich (Pat), Chiappe & Kurzanov on _Avimimus_ (title is "The enigmatic
bird-like dinosaur _Avimimus portentosus_: comments and pictorial atlas")


Received in the same mailing was:

Norell, M.A. & P.J. Makovicky. 1999.  Important featuers of the
dromaeosaurid skeleton II: Information from newly collected specimens of
_Velociraptor mongoliensis_.  American Museum Novitates 3282:1-45.

Among other tidbits in this paper: the scapula of _Velociraptor_ lies in a
subhorizontal position relative to the dorsal vertebrae; presence of a big
fourth trochanter recorded in dromaeosaurids for the first time;
dromaeosaurids shown to be markedly opisthopubic; details of the "hypopubic
cup" said to be present in _Archaeopteryx_; discussion of dromaeosaurid
(rather than avialian) features of _Unenlagia_; and an appendix of all
published and illustrated Mongolian Academy of Sciences-AMNH Expedition
theropods, including the CORRECT specimen numbers (oviraptorosaur fans, take
note!

(Oh, and according to the appendix, the supposed "_Velociraptor_" babies in
the oviraptorosaur egg site described in Norell et al. 1994 turn out to be
troodontid babies!).

More stuff to come, very soon!

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-314-7843