STREPTOSPONDYLUS NEWS

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

On Ronan Allain's new paper on _Streptospondylus altdorfensis_, 
George wrote...

> Robert Long noted Streptospondylus altdorfensis was a theropod more
> than 20 years ago, when he and Sam Welles and Philip Powell had been
> looking at European theropod taxa (Piveteausaurus is something that
> came out of this work). The resulting monograph remains unpublished.
> This observation was picked by Stephan Pickering and also by me, and
> Streptospondylus altdorfensis appears in Mesozoic Meanderings #2 first
> printing (1991) listed as an allosaurid. Good to see that someone has
> finally published on the material.

Allain does note the important contribution of Sam Welles to his 
work. Having quizzed Phil Powell about it a couple of times, I'm not 
sure how near-publishable Welles and Powell's writings on the 
European theropods ever were. Also, Pickering's published (note: 
_published_) contributions were not produced with the co-operation 
of Phil Powell. The good news is a major systematic revision of 
_Megalosaurus_ and other large European megalosaur-grade 
theropods is under way here in the Uk.

Allain regards _S. altdorfensis_ as a close relative of 
_Eustreptospondylus_ (he uses this name - even though he does cite 
Rauhut 2000 - but from hereon I refer to it as _Magnosaurus 
oxoniensis_) and argues that both are spinosauroids sensu Sereno et al. 
Diagnostic features of the species include hypapophyses on two of the 
cranial dorsals (he discusses at length the presence of hypapophyses in 
allosauroids and _M. oxoniensis_ [Nick L: check it out]) and a 
depression at the base of the ascending process of the astragalus. 
Incidentally, _M. oxoniensis_ and _S. altdorfensis_ both share 
elongate caudal dorsals [note to self: character not unique to 
coelophysoids] - Allain uses this character in the diagnosis but, like 
several of the other features he provides, it is clearly not unique to _S. 
altdorfensis_.

Inclusion of _M. oxoniensis_ and _S. altdorfensis_ in the 
Spinosauroidea is based predominantly on the shape of the pubis. 
However, Spinosauroidea as used here is of course what Sereno et al 
initially called Torvosauroidea and includes _Torvosaurus_, _M. 
oxoniensis_ and _Afrovenator_. 

Would like to say more but need to move on.

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
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