New in Acta Pal Pol

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Aside from *Masillastega*, there are some other papers of general interest
in the new issue of _Acta Palaeontologica Polonica_:

Kielan-Jaworowska, Z.; Cifelli, R.L.; & Luo Z.-x. 2002. Dentition and
relationships of the Jurassic mammal *Shuotherium*. _Acta Palaeontologica
Polonica_ 47 (3): 479-486.

  They argue that there is any valid reason to regard Australosphenida as
valid in composition regarding new data on *Shuotherium* compared to
*Asfaltomylos*, *Ausktribosphenos*, *Bishops*, *Abondro*,
*Kuehneotherium*, peramurids, *Hadrocodium*, etc.

Meanwhile,

Pascual, R.; Goin, F.J.; Balarino, L.; & Udrizar Sauthier, D.E. 2002. New
data on the Paleocene monotreme *Monotrematum sudamericanum*, and the
convergent evolution of triangulate molars. _Acta Palaeontologica
Polonica_ 47 (3): 487-492.

  Pascual et al. argue that *Monotrematum* and *Obdurodon* are closely
related, and that the molar pattern of teeth in *Steropodon* and extant
monotremes are plastic relative to tribosphenic mammals, arguing the
Australosphenida is a very small content-wise clade, rather than that
proposed by Luo et al in various papers.

Gheerbrant, E.; Sudre, J.; Cappetta, H.; Iarochène, M.; Amaghzaz, M.; &
Bouya, B. 2002. A new large mammal from the Ypresian of Morocco: Evidence
of surprising diversity of early probiscideans. _Acta Palaeontologica
Polonica_ 47 (3): 493-506.

  I won't go into detail. Big animal, it's African, small incisors, teeth
like *Numidotherium*, and it's name is *Daouitherium rebouli*, "Reboul's
[Sidi] Daoui beast." The authorship for the name is specified Emmanuel
Gheerbrant and Jean Sudre, thus the citation for the name should be
*Daouitherium* Gheerbrant and Sudre _vide_ Gheerbrant et al., 2002. Also,
the Iarochène is the same one from Sereno et al. (Sereno, Duthiel,
Iarochene, Larsson, Lyon, Magwene, Sidor, Varrichio, and Wilson), and
references to the Sereno et al. citation should include the appropriate
"è" e+oblique accent character.

Sulej, T. 2002. Species discrimination of the Late Triassic temnospondyl
amphibian *Metoposaurus diagnosticus*. _Acta Palaeontologica Polonica_ 47
(3): 535-546.

  Tomasz Sulej describes a new specimen of *M.* as a subspecies of *M.
diagnosticus*, *M. d. krasiejowensis*. Wondering why subspecies are still
used in paleo when there's no way to differentiate a metric of speciation
in fossils ...

  But, there is a dinosaur paper in this issue.

Gierlinski, G. & Sabath, K. 2002. A probable stegosaurian track from the
Late Jurassic of Poland. _Acta Palaeontologica Polonica_ 47 (3): 561-564.

  Large ornithopod tracks from the Kimmeridgian, Upper Jurassic, of
Poland. They hail from near the post office of Baltów [where the "l" has a
slash through it], on the slopes of the Larch Nature Preserve next to
Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski [where the initial "s" has an accute accent, and
the "e" has a cedilla], in the Holy Cross Mtns.; the geology is the Baltów
Coral Limestones, possibly as old as the middle late Oxfordian, or the
early Kimmeridgian. They are thus equivalent to the older Weald, Oxford,
and Kimmeridge Clays, and the lower Morrison F.

  There is one complete pes print on the slab, and a manus print, where
all toes project forward on the manus, but the pes is fairly standard in
shape. The pes track is defined by the manus track as stegosaurian, to
which is agrees with the osteology. Pes prints resemble many prints
similar to those attributed to iguanodontids or *Iguanodon* and
hadrosaurs, and the authors suggest that many tracks known may be
stegosaurian, with the manus print overlain and obfuscated by the pes
prints.

  Cheers,

=====
Jaime A. Headden

  Little steps are often the hardest to take.  We are too used to making leaps 
in the face of adversity, that a simple skip is so hard to do.  We should all 
learn to walk soft, walk small, see the world around us rather than zoom by it.

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