New in _Palaeontology_ (including a European ceratopsian)

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Johan Lindgren, Philip J. Currie, Mikael Siverson, Jan Rees, Peter 
Cederström, and Filip Lindgren (2007).  The first neoceratopsian dinosaur 
remains from Europe.  Palaeontology 50: 929?937.

Abstract: "Shallow marine, nearshore strata of earliest Campanian 
(_Gonioteuthis granulataquadrata_ belemnite Zone) and latest Early Campanian 
(informal _Belemnellocamax mammillatus_ belemnite zone) age in the 
Kristianstad Basin, southern Sweden, have yielded isolated leptoceratopsid 
teeth and vertebrae, representing the first record of horned dinosaurs from 
Europe.  The new leptoceratopsid occurrence may support a European dispersal 
route for the Leptoceratopsidae, or may represent an entirely endemic 
population.  The presence of leptoceratopsid teeth in shallow marine 
deposits contradicts previous hypotheses suggesting that basal 
neoceratopsians mainly preferred arid and/or semi-arid habitats far from 
coastal areas."

The material comprises three maxillary teeth, one dentary tooth and two 
caudal vertebrae from one locality (Asen), and one maxillary tooth and one 
dentary tooth from another locality (Ullstorp).  The Swedish neoceratopsian 
is classified as "Leptoceratopsidae gen. et sp. indet." due to the 
fragmentary nature of the material.  However, the authors make it clear that 
the dental characters are unique and would justify the erection of a new 
taxon, but they held off "pending the discovery of more complete material".  
So stay tuned, I suppose.  AFAIK, only one non-avian dinosaur (="Real 
Dinosaur" sensu M. Taylor) has ever been named from Scandinavia 
(_Dromaeosauroides bornholmensis_).

There's also a few non-dinosaurian papers...

Christopher A. Brochu (2007).  Systematics and taxonomy of Eocene 
tomistomine crocodylians from Britain and Northern Europe.  Palaeontology 50 
(4), 917?928.

Abstract: "The holotype of _Dollosuchus dixoni_ (Owen) from the Early?Middle 
Eocene Bracklesham Beds of England is a set of mandibular fragments that 
cannot be distinguished from corresponding parts of other longirostrine 
crocodylians.  An isolated humerus from the Bracklesham Beds is consistent 
with a gavialoid, but it cannot be referred to the holotype of _D. dixoni_.  
The name _Dollosuchoides densmorei_ is established for the well-preserved 
skull and skeleton of a tomistomine from the Middle Eocene of Belgium that 
had been referred to _D. dixoni_.  It can be clearly distinguished from the 
basal tomistomine _?Crocodilus? spenceri_ Buckland from the Lower Eocene of 
England, which cannot be referred to _Dollosuchoides_ and is provisionally 
referred to _Kentisuchus_ Mook.  Although basal within Tomistominae, 
_Dollosuchoides_ is more closely related to _Tomistoma_ than to 
_Kentisuchus_.


Mikael Siverson, Johan Lindgren, and L. Scott Kelley (2007).  Anacoracid 
sharks from the Albian (Lower Cretaceous) Pawpaw Shale of Texas.  
Palaeontology 50: 939?950.

Abstract: "Recent collecting from the Pawpaw Shale in north-east Texas has 
yielded several hundred teeth of anacoracid sharks.  The material allows for 
a much-needed revision of the Late Albian anacoracids from North America.  
The previously recognized _Squalicorax_ sp., also referred to as _S. 
volgensis_ in more recent publications, is a mix of two different species: 
_S. priscoserratus_ sp. nov. and _S. pawpawensis_ sp. nov.  In addition to 
these two new species, a single tooth is assigned to _S. aff. S. 
baharijensis_.  Our data indicate that anacoracids were a considerably more 
diverse group in the North American Cretaceous than previously thought.  We 
attribute much of the underestimation of diversity to vague species 
concepts, poor preparation techniques and the associated lack of attention 
to certain dental features, in particular neck morphology, root surface 
porosity and the root's vascularization."

The new anacoracid material comes from the same formation that yielded a 
nodosaur (_Pawpawsaurus campbelli_) and pterosaur (_Coloborhynchus 
wadleighi_), among other vertebrate remains.

Cheers

Tim

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