Lotsa New Papers

["Jerry D. Harris" <jharris@dixie.edu>]

Hi All -

   The latest bunch of stuff, the most "exciting" first:

Zhang, Z., Hou, L., Hasegawa, Y., O'Connor, J., Martin, L.D., and Chiappe, 
L.M. 2006. The first Mesozoic heterodactyl bird from China. Acta Geologica 
Sinica (English Edition) 80(5):631-635.

   Don't get all drooly over this one -- the evidence for heterodactyly is 
pretty poor, IMHO.  The thing, _Dalingheornis liweii_, does have a rather 
longish tail, though, reminiscent of _Liaoxiornis_ (which is supposedly also 
matches in size).


Novas, F.E., Ezcurra, M.D., and Agnolin, F.L. 2006. Humerus of a basal 
abelisauroid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia. Revista del 
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n.s. 8(1):63-68.


Agnolin, F.L., Novas, F.E., and Lio, G. 2006. Neornithine bird coracoid from 
the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia. Ameghiniana 43(1):245-248.


Coria, R., Currie, P.J., and Carabajal, A.P. 2006. A new abelisauroid 
theropod from northwestern Patagonia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 
43(9): 1283-1289.

ABSTRACT: The Argentinean record of abelisauroid theropods begins in the 
Early Cretaceous (Ligabueino) and spans most of the Late Cretaceous, from 
Cenomanian (Ilokelesia, Xenotarsosaurus, and Ekrixinatosaurus) to 
Campanian-Maastrichtian (Abelisaurus, Carnotaurus, Aucasaurus, and 
Noasaurus). A fragmentary specimen of a theropod dinosaur was collected in 
2000 from the middle section of the Lisandro Formation (Turonian?) at Cerro 
Bayo Mesa, Neuquén Province, Argentina. The fossil-bearing level, which is 
part of the Lisandro Formation that also yielded the remains of the basal 
ornithopod Anabisetia saldiviai, corresponds to a reddish, massive mudstone 
linked with fluvial channel deposits. The theropod identified as 
MCF-PVPH-237 is an abelisauroid theropod that increases our knowledge about 
the evolution of South American Abelisauroidea and is the first record of 
this clade from the Lisandro Formation.

   I don't have this one yet, and so don't know what, if anything, is the 
name of this new beast.


Candeiro, C.R.A., and Martinelli, A.G. 2006. A review of paleogeographical 
and chronostratigraphical distribution of mesoeucrocodylian species from the 
upper Cretaceous beds from the Bauru (Brazil) and Neuquén (Argentina) 
groups, southern South America. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 
22(1-2):116-129. doi: 10.1016/j.jsames.2006.08.001.

ABSTRACT: This article offers a detailed overview of mesoeucrocodylian 
assemblages recovered from the Late Cretaceous southern South America Bauru 
and Neuquén groups as a result of extensive research during the past 110 
years. The Bauru (Brazil) and Neuquén (Argentina) groups yield numerous 
mesoeucrocodylian remains, mainly of Turonian-late Maastrichtian (Late 
Cretaceous) age. The majority of the discoveries were made in the Adamantina 
and Marília formations of Minas Gerais and São Paulo states, Brazil, and 
Candeleros and Bajo de la Carpa formations of Neuquén and Río Negro 
provinces, Argentina. Sixty formally described species of mesoeucrocodylians 
are recognized on the basis of disarticulated materials; among them, 
notosuchians, sebecosuchians, and peirosaurids are the best represented. At 
least one species is common to the Bauru and Neuquén groups, and close 
phylogenetic affinities are postulated for the remaining taxa. The fossil 
record of these two South American units shows three main peaks of 
diversity: in the Cenomanian of Argentina, the Santonian of Argentina and 
Brazil, and the Maastrichtian of Brazil. The absence of notosuchians and 
sebecosuchians in the late Campanian-Maastrichtian of Patagonia is 
coincident with the paleoenvironmental changes in that landmass by that 
time, as well as with the increase in diversity of several groups of 
theropod dinosaurs. In contrast, highly specialized carnivorous 
mesoeucrocodylians are abundant in the Maastrichtian of the Bauru group of 
Brazil, whereas other tetrapod carnivorous groups are scarcely represented.


Jiang, B., and Sha, J. 2006. Late Mesozoic stratigraphy in western Liaoning, 
China: a review. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 28(4-6):205-217. doi: 
10.1016/j.jseaes.2005.07.006.

ABSTRACT: Based on progress in stratigraphic and paleontological studies, we 
discuss the subdivision of Late Mesozoic strata in western Liaoning, 
focusing on the controversies surrounding the relationship of the Jiufotang 
and Shahai formations, and whether or not the Zhanglaogongtun and Banlashan 
formations exist as distinct lithologic units. We describe the Late Mesozoic 
strata at representative sections associated with the new discoveries. We 
also discuss the correlation of Late Mesozoic strata between western 
Liaoning and eastern Heilongjiang and their implications for the ages of the 
strata in Liaoning.

     Among other things, one important tidbit in here: the Shahai and 
Jiufotang formations look like lateral equivalents, not successive units.


Paik, I.S., Huh, M., Park, K.H., Hwang, K.G., Kim, K.S., and Kim, H.J. 2006. 
Yeosu dinosaur track sites of Korea: the youngest dinosaur track records in 
Asia. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 28(4-6):457-468. doi: 
10.1016/j.jseaes.2005.11.007.

ABSTRACT: Eighty two dinosaur trackways were newly discovered in Upper 
Cretaceous lacustrine deposits on islands in the vicinity of Yeosu, Korea. 
Most dinosaur tracks occur in marginal lake deposits with polygonal 
desiccation cracks. The dinosaur tracks at the Yeosu site include 65 
ornithopod trackways, 16 theropod trackways and one sauropod trackway. The 
prevalence of ornithopod tracks and the limited occurrence of sauropod 
tracks at the Yeosu site evidently reflect decreased sauropod diversity in 
the Upper Cretaceous. All ornithopod trackways represent bipeds, and most of 
the ornithopod tracks are similar to Caririchnium from other sites of the 
Korean peninsula. All fossil wood specimens collected in the study area 
represent conifers (three species of cupressaceous and two species of 
taxodiaceous conifers, and a new species) except for one, which is a 
discotyledon. It is thus inferred that the southwestern part of the Korean 
Peninsula was primarily covered with mesic forests with taxodiaceous trees 
during the Late Cretaceous. The K-Ar age of the Yeosu tracksite is 
determined as 81-65 Ma (Camapnian to Maastrichtian). It indicates that the 
Yeosu track site contains the last records of dinosaurs living in Asia. 
Consequently, semi-arid palaeoclimatic conditions, together with a large 
lake as a persistent water source and rich vegetation of gymnosperm trees as 
food, resulted in the preservation of abundant dinosaur tracks in the Upper 
Cretaceous on the Korean Peninsula.


Jouve, S., Iarochene, M., Bouya, B., and Amaghzaz, M. 2006. New material of 
Argochampsa krebsi (Crocodylia: Gavialoidea) from the Lower Paleocene of the 
Oulad Abdoun Basin (Morocco): phylogenetic implications. Geobios 
39(6):817-832. doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2005.07.003.

ABSTRACT: New material from the Lower Paleocene of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, 
Morocco, including postcranial material permits a new description of 
Argochampsa krebsi. The odontoid process of the axis bears a strong lateral 
apophysis, continuous on the anterolateral margin of the centrum. This 
process has never been observed such developed in other crocodylians. The 
single preserved posterior cervical vertebra exhibits a particularly short 
neural spine, much shorter than that is observed in Alligator 
mississippiensis, Crocodylus porosus, and Gavialis gangeticus. A 
phylogenetic analysis, including new coding of A. krebsi, provide a result 
that is globally congruent with previous works, but differs significantly in 
the relationships of the gavialoids. A. krebsi is more closely related to G. 
gangeticus than is Eogavialis africanum. The South American Ikanogavialis 
gameroi and Gryposuchus colombianus form a polytomy, and are more closely 
related to G. gangeticus than is Piscogavialis jugaliperforatus, a gavialoid 
from Peru. The South American gavialoids may thus not be monophyletic. This 
result may indicate, contrary to previous result, a more complex 
paleobiogeographic history. Thus, a multiple invasion of South America by 
gavialoids from Africa is equally parsimonious with a single invasion, and 
an invasion from South American to Asia is equally parsimonious with an 
invasion from Africa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jerry D. Harris
Director of Paleontology
Dixie State College
Science Building
225 South 700 East
St. George, UT  84770   USA
Phone: (435) 652-7758
Fax: (435) 656-4022
E-mail: jharris@dixie.edu
and     dinogami@gmail.com
http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/

"Trying to estimate the divergence times
of fungal, algal or prokaryotic groups on
the basis of a partial reptilian fossil and
protein sequences from mice and humans
is like trying to decipher Demotic Egyptian with
the help of an odometer and the Oxford
English Dictionary."
              -- D. Graur & W. Martin (_Trends
                  in Genetics_ 20[2], 2004)