RE: _Dilophosaurus breedorum_

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Jordan Mallon
>
> I was just informed by Ahmed al-Mahasa Sha'ad that both _Dilophosaurus
> wetherilli_ and _D. breedorum_ are indeed from the same age and formation
> (Kayenta, in Arizona).  I think it is therefore plausible to
> entertain the
> thought of _D. breedorum_ simply being a different gender of the same
> species (so does Ahmed al-Mahasa Sha'ad, for that matter).  I'm
> no expert,
> so what does everyone else think?
>

Basically, everyone else thinks much as you do: but for Pickering's
self-published, non-peer reviewed study, the agreement is that these are
different sexual dimorphs of the same species.  Indeed, theropod workers who
are not on this list or who do not receive Pickering's mailings will almost
certainly never have even heard the name "_Dilophosaurus breedorum_".

(Or, as a polite warning in general to the list, beware of "net-taxonomy":
there are a number of names floating around on this list which are in fact
not yet in the formal literature).

                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