Majungatholus, Ilium and Interpretation

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

Though it is the weekend and most of the guys out there who would likely
have first-hand knowledge of this stuff are not on, i am posting this to
make available an interpretation of these two ilia, and especially that of
*Majungatholus atopus*.

  http://qilong.8m.com/Carnotaurine_ilia.jpg  :  is my interpretation of
these two ilia, specimen numbers and identities specified.

  http://qilong.8m.com/Majungatholus_atopus_postcrania.jpg  :  is the
published Fig. 2 from Sampson, Witmer, Forster, etc..., 1998, and
represents the referred postcrania of UA 8678.

  http://qilong.8m.com/Majungatholus_UA-8678.jpg  :  is the ilium isolated
with definitions of the folds and fossae used to illustrate this.

  Now, my logic: Two fossae on the iliac blade correspond to the m.
iliotibialis anterior and m.it posterior, and are divided ... well, by the
absence of a fossa ... distinction between which has been called the
median vertical crest (Hutchinson, 2001) ot the vertical crest (Holtz,
1995). This is an example of a well defined crest, but this division
between the fossae is homologous in birds and other theropods, and occurs
only above the acetabulum, either the caudal end or centered dorsally.
This is the occurance of the "non-depression" I note in both *Carnotaurus*
and *Majungatholus*. Photos of the first (not Bonaparte, Coria & Novas,
1990's drawing) corroborate that the drawing is a poor imitation of the
drawing, and that once again, photos are preferred above drawings. Better
yet, personal examination.... And the condition in *Carnotaurus* is
apparent in some other taxa, including *Piatnitzkysaurus*, *Baryonyx*,
hadrosaurs, ornithomimosaurs, tyrannosaurs, *Iliosuchus*, and
*Stokesosaurus*, especially in larger carnosaurs (Stromer's referred ilium
to *Carcharodontosaurus* has what appears to such a "crest" as well, some
specimens of *Allosaurus*, etc.).

  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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