Re: Dark-wing Rhamphorhynchus

[Unwin <h0662eka@rz.hu-berlin.de>]

Dark-wing Rhamphorhynchus

Regarding this specimen Peters wrote:

<I look forward to the author's explaining the differences between
ptero-goo associated with liquifying hind limb muscles and purported
tenopatagial materials.>

'ptero-goo'. Is this an entry for the 'Vaguest and most ambiguous 
desriptor of 2003 competition' - if so it could be a hard one to beat. 

'liquifying hind limb muscles' now that's definitely a bit of leg 
pulling. 

Either way looks like we are dealing with a case of special bleeding, 
...er...no... sorry, I mean special pleading.  


With regard to the uropatagium I wrote:

 >> A uropatagium is also preserved, but seems to be narrower than, for
example, in Sordes. <<

To which Peters replied:

>How can it be narrower if in Sordes a single uropatagium _stretched_
from leg to leg?<

What I meant was more deeply incised along the sagittal plane, than in 
Sordes, where it is hardly incised at all - but before this becomes a 
very tedious discussion of what I said to him, or she said to me (another 
of my favourite Laurel and Hardy sketches) might I suggest that those 
interested in this topic obtain and read the Tischlinger and Frey paper 
for themselves and draw their own conclusions. 


In a subsequent mail Peters wrote:

>With the publication of the Hist. Bio. paper on pterosaur wing shapes
and origins, I am now free to field any questions or provide support
drawings to anyone interested in the subject. I still await permission
to distribute the PDF file (about  1m) I have of the paper.

Dr. Unwin, we know you're back from Christmas break and you're strangely
silent.<

Two mails in four days, when I normally manage about one mail per three 
months. What do 'we' want? Half hourly reports? 

I still have not seen the much trumpeted Hysterical Biology paper on 
pterosaur wings by Peters, so, breaking with tradition, I'll refrain from 
commenting on it before I have read it. I cannot resist mentioning, 
however, that when I last saw it the specimen M1323 of Zhejiangopterus 
was completely bereft of any kind of evidence for soft tissues (perhaps 
not unrelated to the highly irregular and rather chiselled surface of the 
boulders that bore various bits of the skeleton), but according to the 
interpretation by Peters, hosted on Jim Cunninghams website, it now 
sports a full set of wing membranes - truly incredible. 

OK, now I have to go to a meeting on the EU Framework VI programme, 
followed by tea and a quick visit to the loo, oh and translate the phrase 
geldwerte Zuwendung (any suggestions gratefully received), then write my 
next half hourly report for the DML.

Busy busy busy,

Dave 


PS. Jim, my email addresses are:

david.unwin@rz.hu-berlin.de

david.unwin@museum.hu-berlin.de