JVP 26(4)

[Justin Tweet <thescelosaurus@juno.com>]

Hi, everyone;

JVP 26(4) just arrived yesterday, with 6 dinosaur-related articles and
3 notes, covering much of the tree with a variety of topics.  Quick
recaps (I haven't gone through them in great detail yet):

Peyer, Karin. A reconsideration of _Compsognathus_ from the upper
Tithonian of Canjuers, southeastern France. JVP 879-896.

A full osteological rediscription of the French _Compsognathus_ (cover
dinosaur).  Peyer finds it to be the same species as _C. longipes_,
with differences being ontogenetic, within-species variation, or
preservation.  The usual suspects, along with _Scipionyx_ (which shares
a lack of an external mandibual fenestra, dorsal vertebrae that are
dorsally fan-shaped with a hook-like ligament attachment, short McI,
and a PhI-1 that is wider than the diameter of the radius), are
considered compsognathids.  The reconstructed manus is 2-3-4 (III being
guesswork).  Also, remnants of sphenodontids or lizards are found in
the gut cavity.


Senter, Phil. Comparison of forelimb function between _Deinonychus_ and
_Bambiraptor_ (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae). JVP 897-906.

_Bambiraptor_ has opposable I and III, but otherwise the two are
similar.  They could do two-handed prehension with flexed wrists,
one-handed clutching to the chest, hooking with the hand, displays
involving arm raising or swinging, and balance maintenance.  Feathered
forelimbs interfere with grabbing things from the ground, two-handed
chest clutches of objects, and probing with digit II, and feathers or
no feathers, they weren't digging.  Lots of figures of flexed and
extended dromie arms, which could also inspire paleoartists.


Henderson, Donald M. Burly Gaits: Center of mass, stability, and the
trackways of sauropod dinosaurs. JVP 907-921.

Computer models, elephants, and a title pun are used to test if
sauropod trackway modes (wide and narrow gauge) are due to their
centers of mass.  _Brachiosaurus brancai_ has a central center of mass,
and is only stable with wide-gauge.  _Diplodocus carnegii_ has a more
posterior center of mass and is most stable with narrow-gauge.  The
heavier the sauropod, the farther further the center of mass, and the
wider the trackway.  Narrow-gauge is considered primitive.


Lehman, Thomas M.; McDowell, Fred W.; and Connelly, James N. First
isotopic (U-PB) age for the Late Cretaceous _Alamosaurus_ vertebrate
fauna of west Texas, and its significance as a link between two faunal
provinces. JVP 922-928.

A tuff about 2/3rds of the way up the Javelina Fm. is dated to 69.0 +/-
0.9 ma, between Edmontonian and Lancian time.  The _Alamosaurus_ fauna
is interpreted as late Edmontonian to Lancian.


Prieto-Marquez, Alberto; Gaete, Rodrigo; Rivas, Gonzalo; Galobart,
Angel (accented A); and Boada, Marc. Hadrosaurid dinosaurs from the
Late Cretaceous of Spain: _Pararhabdodon isonensis_ revisited and
_Koutalisaurus kohlerorum_, gen et sp. nov. JVP 929-943.

_Pararhabdodon is not a lambeosaurine, but close to the base of
Hadrosauridae (here = Lambeosaurinae + Hadrosaurinae); in fact, it
comes out as the sister taxon, closer to Hadrosauridae than
_Bactrosaurus_, _Gilmoreosauru_, _Telmatosaurus_, and _Tanius_.
(Interestingly, _Hypacrosaurus_ is paraphyletic_.)  A dentary, IPS SRA
27, is referred to new genus _Koutalisaurus kohlerorum_, "Terry and
Mary Kohler's spoon lizard," in reference to the shape the complete jaw
would have had.  It's a very elongate dentary with a long edentulous
portion that is steeply curved down and in (something like
_Protohadros_).  This taxon, from the Tremp Formation near Abella de la
Conca, Lleida, Spain, is found to be a hadrosaurid of uncertain
affinities (it causes Lambeosaurinae to explode).


Maidment, Susannah C.R.; Guangbiao Wei; and Norman, David B.
Re-description of the postcranial skeleton of the Middle Jurassic
stegosaur _Huayangosaurus taibaii_. JVP 944-956.

_Huayangosaurus_ is more plesiomorphic than previously suspected
(retains ossified tendons, for example).  Additionally, at least some
of the referred remains (CV 721, an ilio-sacral block) pertain to a
more derived stegosaurid, reminiscent of the Late Jurassic Chinese
stegosaurids, so contemporaneous remains should not be referred
willy-nilly to _Huayangosaurus_ (unassociated parascapular spines in
particular).  _Scelidosaurus_ is found to be the sister group to
Euryopoda, not an ankylosaurian\ankylosauromorph.


Notes: 
Vickaryous, Matthew K. New information on the cranial anatomy of
_Edmontonia rugosidens_ Gilmore, a Late Cretaceous nodosaurid dinosaur
from Dinosaur Provincial Park. JVP 1011-1013.

CT scanning of three skulls clarifies information on the osseous
secondary palate and shows that paranasal sinus cavities are present. 
Deep vomers, as in _Panoplosaurus_, partition the oral cavity, and have
unknown implications for oral processing.


Campione, Nicolas E.; and Holmes, Robert. The anatomy and homologies of
the ceratopsid syncervical. JVP 1014-1017.

It's the atlas, axis, and third cervical, not atlas, axis, third
cervical, and fourth cervical.


Farke, Andrew A.; and Williamson, Thomas E. A ceratopsid dinosaur
parietal from New Mexico and its implications for ceratopid
biogeography and systematics. JVP 1018-1020.

It's a chasmosaurine parietal (NMMNH P-44477) from the Naashoibito
Member of the Kirtland Formation, referred to Chasmosaurine indet.  It
has an epoccipital on the midline, otherwise only known in
_Triceratops_, but the parietal is also thin, and nobody has ever
accused _Triceratops_ parietals of being thin.  The Alamo Wash fauna,
to which it belongs, is distinct from other Kirtland\Fruitland members
in its chasmosaurine.  The parietal also supports latitudinal variation
in ceratopsid faunas as the end of the Cretaceous.

-Justin