RE: New papers on the dinosaur formerly known as Syntarsus (no more "Megapnosaurus")

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

Brad McFeeters (archosauromorph2@hotmail.com) wrote:

<The new *C. rhodesiensis* specimen QG165 is described as having a "crest" much
lower again than in *C. kayentakatae* (3 mm).  However, this "crest" may exist
only on the right side of the skull, and the authors consider it more probable
to be an artefact of distortion.  :\>

  Which reminds me. The initial description of *Syntarsus kayentakatae* used
the nature of the nasolachrymoprefrontal fontanelle (or nasal fenestra) as the
diagnostic feature linking *kayentakatae* to *rhodesiensis*, thus validating
the species's assignment into *Syntarsus*. If this feature is an artefact in
*rhodesiensis*, then what is the condition in *kayentakatae*? It is likely,
with regards to the shorter snout and crests, that *kayentakatae* represents a
taxon other than *Coelophysis* or *Syntarsus* and thankfully, the name
*Megapnosaurus* cannot be applied to it without *rhodesiensis*.

  Cheers,

Jaime A. Headden

"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)

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