RE: The German textbook version of bird hand embryology

[Michael Mortimer <mickey_mortimer111@msn.com>]

David Marjanovic wrote on
http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0000265/bird-fingers.htm

"The disappearance of the ulnare is thoroughly weird, but AFAIK it is 
universally accepted. In keeping with this interpretation, Allosaurus has no 
trace of an ulnare. (It has four carpals, interpreted as a big radiale, a 
big distal carpal 1, a small intermedium and a very small distal carpal 2 by 
Chure (2001). Most of metacarpal II seems to articulate directly with the 
ulna! Metacarpal III may not reach the carpus at all, if this isn't due to 
some disarticulation as shown for Deinonychus by Gishlick (2001).) Neither 
does Deinonychus (Gishlick, 2001; also see below.)"

Gishlick (2002) has identified ulnares in Caudipteryx and Sinornithosaurus.  
The former's is very similar to the intermedium identified by Chure (2001) 
in Allosaurus, so I suspect that identity may be incorrect.  Kobayashi and 
Barsbold (2005) describe an ulnare in Harpymimus too.  I suspect their 
pisiform or intermedium may be a distal carpal III though.

Mickey Mortimer