RE: Happy "Capitalsaurus" Day!

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

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Williams, Tim
>
> Three cheers!  "Capitalsaurus" as been designated as the Official Dinosaur
> of D.C.

I do not know if that bill was ever passed.  Incidentally, it was a bill to
the council of the District of Columbia (i.e., a local event), not a
national one.

> To commemorate this special occasion, everyone should go and find the
> crappiest dinosaur fossil they can lay their hands on, and give it a new
> name.  I just can't get enough of those _nomina nuda_ clogging up dinosaur
> taxonomy.

Here, here!!

> (Stop Press: I had thought that "Capitalsaurus" was based on a
> non-diagnostic tail vertebra.  However, I'm pleased to see from
> the drawing
> at the website that "Capitalsaurus" is now known from a complete skeleton.
> Tom Lipka has been busy!)

Of course it is just a non-diagnostic tail vert, and of course this is just
a nomen nudum.  It just happens to have a very... enthusiastic supporter.

                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): 301-405-0796