Re: smallest and largest Jurassic theropods

[Mickey Mortimer <Mickey_Mortimer111@msn.com>]

Octávio Mateus wrote-

> I wonder if anyone could help me... what are the two smallest and the two
largest theropod specimens in
> Jurassic?
> I guess that Yangchuanosaurus and Torvosaurus tanneri BYU 725 should be
the largest.

Largest- http://www.cmnh.org/dinoarch/2003Jul/msg00355.html

Allosaurus fragilis Marsh 1877
(AMNH 5767; holotype of Epanterias amplexus) (12.1 m; 4.5 tons) axis, sixth
or seventh cervical centrum, first dorsal neural arch, coracoid (328 mm
long), distal metatarsal IV

Edmarka rex Bakker, Kralis, Siegwarth and Filla 1992
(CPS 1002) (~12 m; ~4 tons) incomplete scapula (~870 mm), partial coracoid
(CPS 1005) jugal (skull ~1.5 m)
(CPS 1010) pubis (845 mm)
The three specimens probably belong to the same individual.

Smallest-

This I'm less certain of... hm... ignoring dental remains-

Epidendrosaurus ningchengensis Zhang, Zhou, Xu and Wang 2002
Holotype- (IVPP V12653, holotype of Epidendrosaurus nigchengensis) (.13 m,
~6 g) frontals, parietals, sclerotic ring, mandibles, nine cervical
vertebrae, cervical rib, four dorsal vertebrae, five dorsal rib, ten caudal
vertebrae, several chevrons, scapulae, furcula?, humeri, radius, ulna,
distal phalanx I-1, manual ungual I, metacarpal II, phalanx II-1, phalanx
II-2, manual ungual II, metacarpal III, phalanx III-1, phalanx III-2,
phalanx III-3, manual ungual III, femora, tibiae, fibulae, astragalus, pes

Archaeopteryx lithographica Meyer 1861
(JM 2257; Eichstatt- 5th; holotype of Archaeopteryx recurva) (.29 m, 69 g,
juv.) skull (39 mm), sclerotic ring (eleven segments), lower jaw (36.5 mm),
atlas, axis (3.7 mm), third cervical vertebra (~4.5 mm), fourth cervical
vertebra (~6 mm), fifth cervical vertebra (~7 mm), sixth cervical vertebra
(~5.5 mm), seventh cervical vertebra (~5 mm), eighth cervical vertebra (~5
mm), ninth cervical vertebra (~4.5 mm), tenth cervical vertebra (~3.5 mm),
cervical ribs 1-10, first dorsal vertebra (4 mm), second dorsal vertebra,
third dorsal vertebra, fourth dorsal vertebra, fifth dorsal vertebra (4 mm),
sixth dorsal vertebra (4 mm), seventh dorsal vertebra (~4 mm), eighth dorsal
vertebra (4.5 mm), ninth dorsal vertebra (~5 mm), tenth dorsal vertebra
(~4.5 mm), eleventh dorsal vertebra, twelfth dorsal vertebra (4 mm),
thirteenth dorsal vertebra (4 mm), dorsal ribs 1-13, gastralia, (sacrum
~16.5 mm), first sacral vertebra (3.7 mm), second sacral vertebra (3.4 mm),
third sacral vertebra (3.1 mm), fourth sacral vertebra (3.2 mm), fifth
sacral vertebra, first caudal vertebra (3 mm), second caudal vertebra (3.3
mm), third caudal vertebra (3.5 mm), fourth caudal vertebra (~4 mm), fifth
caudal vertebra (4.7 mm), sixth caudal vertebra (5.4 mm), seventh caudal
vertebra (6.4 mm), eighth caudal vertebra (7.2 mm), ninth caudal vertebra
(7.9 mm), tenth caudal vertebra (8.4 mm), eleventh caudal vertebra (8.5 mm),
twelfth caudal vertebra (8.6 mm), thirteenth caudal vertebra (8.3 mm),
fourteenth caudal vertebra (8.3 mm), fifteenth caudal vertebra (8 mm),
sixteenth caudal vertebra (7.7 mm), seventeenth caudal vertebra (7.4 mm),
eighteenth caudal vertebra (6.9 mm), nineteenth caudal vertebra (6.6 mm),
twentieth caudal vertebra (~5.5 mm), twenty-first caudal vertebra (4.2 mm),
twenty-second caudal vertebra (4 mm), twenty-third caudal vertebra, chevrons
1-17, scapulae, coracoid, humeri (41.5 mm), radii (35 mm), ulnae (36.5 mm),
radiale, ulnare, semilunate carpal, distal carpal III, metacarpal I (5.5
mm), phalanx I-1 (15.6 mm), manual ungual (9.8 mm), metacarpal II (17.8 mm),
phalanx II-1 (10.2 mm), phalanx II-2 (15.1 mm), manual ungual II (10.8 mm),
metacarpal III (16.5 mm), phalanx III-1 (4.2 mm), phalanx III-2 (3 mm),
phalanx III-3 (9.8 mm), manual ungual III (6.5 mm), ilium (~20 mm), pubes
(31.5 mm), ischia (14.5 mm), femora (37 mm), tibiae (52.5 mm), fibula (50.5
mm), astragalus, calcaneum, distal tarsal III, distal tarsal IV, metatarsal
I, phalanx I-1 (5.9 mm), pedal ungual I (6 mm), metatarsal II (28.3 mm),
phalanx II-1 (7.3 mm), phalanx II-2 (7.5 mm), pedal ungual II (9.9 mm),
metatarsal III (30.2 mm), phalanx III-1 (9.3 mm), phalanx III-2 (7.8 mm),
phalanx III-3 (7 mm), pedal ungual III (8.7 mm), metatarsal IV (27.3 mm),
phalanx IV-1 (6.4 mm), phalanx IV-2 (5.3 mm), phalanx IV-3 (5 mm), phalanx
IV-4 (5.3 mm), pedal ungual IV (7.1 mm), metatarsal V (6.5 mm)

Or, if you demand non-avian theropods for the second-smallest record-

Compsognathus longipes Wagner 1859
Holotype- (BSP AS I 536) (.89 m, .58 kg) skull (75 mm), lower jaw, cervical
vertebrae 1-10, cervical ribs, dorsal vertebrae 1-13 (129.3 mm), sacrum,
caudal vertebrae 1-16, ten chevrons, scapula (38 mm), coracoid (10 mm),
humerus (39 mm), radii (24.7 mm), ulnae (~28 mm), manus, ilium (50 mm),
pubis, ischium, femora (67 mm), tibiae (87.7 mm), fibulae, metatarsal I (12
mm), phalanx I-1 (9 mm), pedal ungual I (4.5 mm), metatarsal II (50.4 mm),
phalanx II-1 (15 mm), phalanx II-2 (15 mm), pedal ungual II (13 mm),
metatarsal III (56 mm), phalanx III-1 (18 mm), phalanx III-2 (15 mm),
phalanx III-3 (13 mm), pedal ungual III (13 mm), metatarsal IV (51.8 mm),
phalanx IV-1 (12 mm), phalanx IV-2 (10 mm), phalanx IV-3 (10 mm), phalanx
IV-4 (10 mm), pedal ungual IV (10 mm), metatarsal V (17 mm)

Lukousaurus yini Young 1948
Holotype- (IVP AS V23) anterior skull (~75 mm, antorbital 62 mm), anterior
lower jaws

Podokesaurus holyokensis Talbot 1911
Holotype- (destroyed) (.89 m; .92 kg) eighteen presacral vertebrae
(posterior cervical- 15 mm), thirteen caudal vertebrae, coracoid, humerus
(42 mm), manus, ilial fragment, pubis (95 mm), ischium (50 mm), femur (86
mm), tibia (104 mm), metatarsus (65 mm)

Borsti
Material- (Eichstätter Jura-Museum coll.) (juv.) skull (76 mm), anterior
cervical vertebrae, more?

Perhaps "Paleopteryx" or the unnamed femur described along with it (Jensen,
1981)?

Or maybe your own Lourinhanosaurus embryos.  I'm not quite sure how large
they are.

Mickey Mortimer
Undergraduate, Earth and Space Sciences
University of Washington
The Theropod Database - http://students.washington.edu/eoraptor/Home.html