New dinosaur papers

[bh480@scn.org]

From: Ben Creisler bh480@scn.org
New dinosaur articles:

Pisani, D, A. Yates, M. Langer & M. Benton (online 2002). 
A genus-level supertree of the Dinosauria.
Note: This paper is currently only available online in 
FirstCite for Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: 
Biological Sciences. It should appear in print in another 
month or so.
Abstract: One of the ultimate aims of systematics is the 
reconstruction of the tree of life. This is a huge 
undertaking that is inhibited by the existence of a 
computational limit to the inclusiveness of phylogenetic 
analyses. Supertree methods have been developed to 
overcome, or at least to go around this problem by 
combining smaller, partially overlapping cladograms. Here, 
we present a very inclusive generic-level supertree of 
Dinosauria (covering a total of 277 genera), which is 
remarkably well resolved and provides some clarity in many 
contentious areas of dinosaur systematics. 
http://cherubino.catchword.com/vl=13530402/cl=14/nw=1/rpsv/
catchword/rsl/09628452/previews/01pb0724


Comments: The meat of the reclassification is summed up in 
a couple of paragraphs:

"Contentious issues in dinosaur systematics are resolved 
in the present supertree.Sauropodomorpha is composed of 
Saturnalia and monophyetic Prosauropoda and Sauropoda 
(Sereno 1999; Benton et al. 2000; contra Gauthier 1986). 
Within Prosauropoda, a monophyletic Melanorosauridae 
(Riojasaurus, Camelotia and Melanorosaurus) emerges as the 
sister group of Plateosauria (Massospondylus, 
Yunnanosaurus and Plateosauridae). Within Sauropoda, 
Barapasaurus is the sister group to all other Eusauropoda 
(Upchurch 1998; contra Wilson & Sereno 1998) and 
Omeisaurus is more closely related to Neosauropoda than it 
is to Shunosaurus (Wilson and Sereno 1998; contra Upchurch 
1998). The early dinosaurs Eoraptor and the 
Herrarasauridae are basal theropods (Sereno et al. 1993; 
contra Langer at al. 1999). Ceratosauria is a monophyletic 
group containing Coelophysoidea and Neoceratosauria 
(Sereno 1999, Holtz 2000; contra Forster 1999), while 
torvosaurids are more closely realted to derived 
tetanurans (Avetheropoda) than to spinosaurids (Holtz 
2000; contra Sereno at al. 1994). Therizinosauroidea is 
the sister group of Oviraptorosauria (Russell & Dong 1993; 
Holtz 2000; contra Sereno 1999), but Caudipteryx is a 
basal member of the Paraves: it is excluded from both 
Oviraptorosauria (contra Sereno 1999) and Avialae (contra 
Ji et al. 1998), while Metornithes is monophyletic and 
contains Ornithothoraces, Avimimus (Chatterjee 1991; 
contra Holtz 1994) and Alvarezsauridae (Chiappe et al. 
1996; contra Sereno 1999).

"Within Ornithischia, Minmi and Gargoyleosaurus are basal 
Ankylosauridae (Sereno 1999; contra Kirkland 1998). A 
monophyletic Iguanodontidae (Norman 1998; contra Sereno 
1999) containing Iguanodon, Altirhinus and Ouranosaurus is 
recovered, while the Hadrosauridae appears more closely 
related to Probactrosaurus than to Iguanodontidae. 
Leptoceratops and Udanoceratops are excluded from the 
Coronosauria (Protoceratopsidae plus Ceratopsoidea) and a 
monophyletic Protoceratopsidae containing Bagaceratops, 
Breviceratops, Graciliceratops and Protoceratops is 
recovered (Sereno 2000; contra Chinnery & Weishampel 
1998)."

Buffetaut, Eric, Varavudh Suteethornb, Jean Le Loeuff, 
Gilles Cuny,  Haiyan Tonga and Sasidhorn Khansubhab. 2002. 
The first giant dinosaurs: a large sauropod from the Late 
Triassic of Thailand. Comptes Rendus: Palevol 1 (2002) 103-
109.  
Abstract: Newly discovered sauropod material from the 
Upper Triassic of northeastern Thailand reveals that some 
of the earliest sauropods had already reached a very large 
size. A 1 m long humerus is within the size range of large 
Jurassic sauropods such as Camarasaurus and suggests an 
animal reaching a length of 12 to 15 m. It took 
sauropodomorph dinosaurs some 20 million years to produce 
giant forms, a rapid size increase when compared with that 
observed in the evolution of other dinosaurs, such as 
ornithischians. 
Comments:
No taxon is named given the incompleteness of the fossil 
material, but it's possible that the specimen could 
represent a fully grown Isanosaurus.  In any case, 
sauropods must have been the largest land animals of the 
Late Triassic--larger than a few massive phytosaurs.

As of 2002, the former title Comptes Rendus des Sciences 
de la Terre has been divided into two separate 
publications: Comptes Rendus: Geoscience and Comptes 
Rendus: Palevol [for paleontology and
evolution].