RE: cervical vertebrae in Archosauromorphs

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Ken Kinman
>
> Thomas,
>       I was just looking at Benton and Allen's 1997 paper on
> Boreopricea.
> And if I am reading their character table correctly, they show
> Rhynchosaurus, Trilophosaurus and Megalancosaurus as having 7 or fewer
> cervical vertebrae.  I do not know off hand how many cervical vertebrae
> there are in choristoderes.
>       However, if I am reading Benton and Allen correctly,
> Longisquama might
> fit in rather nicely as a basal Archosauromorph in the vicinity of
> rhynchosaurs.

Thanks: I'll have to hunt up my copy of the Boreopricea paper.  It is true
(looking through old papers) that drepanosaurids do have only 7 cervicals:
I'll have to hunt up a rhynchosaur and a trilophosaur to check those guys.
Choristoderes have seven definite cervicals, then a few which sort of blend
cerivcal/dorsal characteristics.

Still, even in this case, there is still no positive evidence that
_Longisquama_ is an archosauromorph rather than a lepidosauromorph or a
diapsid outside of Sauria.  Some positive evidence would be nice.

                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
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Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
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