New Papers in Wonderland

[Mike Taylor <mike@indexdata.com>]

Jerry D. Harris writes:
 > Then, at the risk of tooting my own horn:
 > 
 > Harris, J.D. 2007. The appendicular skeleton of Suuwassea emilieae
 > (Sauropoda: Flagellicaudata) from the Upper Jurassic Morrison
 > Formation of Montana (USA). Geobios. doi:
 > 10.1016/j.geobios.2006.02.002.
 > 
 > ABSTRACT: Appendicular elements of the sauropod dinosaur Suuwassea
 > emilieae, from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana,
 > USA, display a peculiar mix of autapomorphic and plesiomorphic
 > features. While more similar in overall morphology to Apatosaurus
 > than other flagellicaudatans, the coracoid of Suuwassea lacks the
 > quadrangular shape of Apatosaurus. The humerus of Suuwassea bears a
 > pronounced proximal tuberculum, a feature seen elsewhere only in
 > saltasaurine titanosaurian sauropods. The rectangular proximal
 > articular surface of the tibia is proportioned neither like
 > Diplodocus nor Apatosaurus type specimens, although this region may
 > be intraspecifically variable. The pes of Suuwassea possesses
 > plesiomorphically elongate phalanges and a small, uncompressed
 > ungual, unlike other flagellicaudatans except Dyslocosaurus. The
 > localization of tooth marks on the pedal elements suggests that
 > sauropod feet may have been singled out by scavengers, as has been
 > noted for elephants.

Let me toot on Jerry's behalf, since he is too modest to big this up
as it deserves.  Taken together with his previous papers on the
cranial osteology, axial osteology and phylogenetic significance of
_Suuwassea_, this paper constitutes the final chapter of an 82-page
four-segment monograph ("quadrograph"?) in which _Suuwassea_ is given
the kind of exhaustive treatment that's not been seen for a new
sauropod since Janensch finally finished with Brachiosaurus brancai in
1961.

Here are all four references, for anyone who's missed them:

        Harris, J.D.  2006.  Cranial osteology of Suuwassea emilieae
        (Sauropoda: Flagellicaudata) from the Upper Jurassic Morrison
        Formation of Montana, U.S.A.  Journal of Vertebrate
        Paleontology 26 (1): 88-102.

        Harris, Jerald D.  2006.  The axial skeleton of the dinosaur
        _Suuwassea emilieae_ (Sauropoda: Flagellicaudata) from the
        Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana, USA.
        Palaeontology 49 (5): 1091-1121.

        Harris, Jerald D.  2006.  The significance of _Suuwassea
        emiliae_ (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) for flagellicaudatan
        intrarelationships and evolution.  Journal of Systematic
        Palaeontology 4: 185-198.

        Harris, Jerald D.  2007.  The appendicular skeleton of
        _Suuwassea emilieae_ (Sauropoda: Flagellicaudata) from the
        Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana (USA).  Geobios,
        in press (22 pp.)  doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2006.02.002

So hats off to Jerry, who's done a commendably comprehensive job on
this beast.

 _/|_    ___________________________________________________________________
/o ) \/  Mike Taylor    <mike@indexdata.com>    http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\  "Well, as you know, Buck, the astral frobnicator functions by
         bending time into a pretzel-like configuration [...] and that's
         how we all live in the City of The Future" -- Steve Lamont's
         sample "expositional lump".