RE: Horns and Beaks: New taxa and descriptions

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Now that I've had time to skim this volume (great stuff!), just a few 
taxonomic tidbits...

Andy Farke wrote:

> Brill, K., and K. Carpenter. 2006. A description of a new ornithopod from 
> the Lytle Member of the Purgatoire Formation (Lower Cretaceous) and a 
> reassessment of the skull of Camptosaurus; pp. 49-
> 67 in K. Carpenter (ed.), Horns and Beaks: Ceratopsian and Ornithopod 
> Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
>
> Describes Theiophytalia kerri, erected for the partial skull YPM 1887, 
> which is the specimen used by Marsh to restore the skull of Camptosaurus.

The name _Theiphytalia_ translates as "Garden of the Gods", a reference to 
the site.

_I. lakotaensis_ is suggested to represent a new genus, but this job falls 
to another paper.  The skull appears intermediate between _Theiophytalia_ 
and _"I". atherfieldensis_.

> Galton, P. M. 2006. Teeth of ornithischian dinosaurs (mostly Ornithopoda) 
> from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of the western United States; 
> pp. 17-47 in K. Carpenter (ed.), Horns and Beaks: Ceratopsian and 
> Ornithopod Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
>
> Reviews and illustrates pretty much all that which is said in the title. A 
> new genus, Othnielosaurus, is erected for the former Laosaurus consors.

Galton regards _Othnielia rex_ as a nomen dubium, which is probably why he 
hit upon the name _Othnielosaurus_ for a referred specimen (type of _L. 
consors_).  The holotype of _O. rex_ (formerly _Nanosaurus rex_) is said to 
be indeterminate.

By contrast, _Nanosaurus agilis_ resurfaces as a provisionally valid 
species.  Maybe I'm reading too much into Galton's description, but he may 
be implying that _Nanosaurus_ is a heterodontosaurid.

_Gongbusaurus shiyii_ is re-interpreted as an ankylosaurian, not a 
'fabrosaurid'.  The "Fruita _Echinodon_" is probably a heterodontosaurid, 
and is awaiting a description as a new genus.

> Paul, G. S. 2006. Turning the old into the new: a separate genus for the 
> gracile iguanodont from the Wealden of England; pp. 69-77 in K. Carpenter 
> (ed.), Horns and Beaks: Ceratopsian and Ornithopod Dinosaurs. Indiana 
> University Press, Bloomington.
>
> Iguanodon atherfieldensis is renamed Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis.

_I. atherfieldensis_ is described as more gracile and more hadrosaur-like 
than _I. bernissartensis_.  Both are qualitative assessments, rather than a 
product of morphometric or phylogenetic analyses.  Not that there's anything 
wrong with that, especially since certain previous cladistic analyses have 
found no support for a _bernissartensis_+_atherfieldensis_ clade.  But I 
wonder if other paleontologists are 'sold' on the arguments put forward to 
erect a new genus.

No mention at all of _Vectisaurus_ and _Heterosaurus_.  I see trouble ahead 
on that one....

BTW, in a previous message I referred to _Iguanodon orientalis_ as 
_Iguanodon "mongoliensis"_.  My bad.  In any case, Paul finds _orientalis_ 
too poorly known to establish its generic assignment.

Cheers

Tim

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