RE: Anshunsaurus (Thalattosauria) redescribed

[Jaime Headden <qi_leong@hotmail.com>]

No comment on the ultra-cool thalattosaurs, but instead a clarification:

The authors names are written as quoted with their personal names given, rather 
than their patronyms. The correct authorship should read:

Cheng L., Chen Z.-h., Zhang B.-m. & Cai Y.-j. or
Cheng L., Chen Z., Zhang B. & Cai Y.

[Depending on one's preference or the original's for having a hyphen in their 
personal names, such as how Xing Li-da is often written with her name as Xing 
Lida which, I guess, makes transcribing it as "Lida Xing" a bit more Western 
than "Li-da Xing."]

Cheers,

  Jaime A. Headden
  The Bite Stuff (site v2)
  http://qilong.wordpress.com/

"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)


"Ever since man first left his cave and met a stranger with a
different language and a new way of looking at things, the human race
has had a dream: to kill him, so we don't have to learn his language or
his new way of looking at things." --- Zapp Brannigan (Beast With a Billion 
Backs)


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> Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:07:23 -0800
> From: bscreisler@yahoo.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Anshunsaurus (Thalattosauria) redescribed
>
> From: Ben Creisler
> bscreisler@yahoo.com
>
>
> A new paper about a Triassic marine reptile:
>
>
>
>
>
> Long, C., Xiaohong, C., Baomin, Z. and Yongjian, C. (2011)
> New Study of Anshunsaurus huangnihensis Cheng, 2007 (Reptilia: 
> Thalattosauria): Revealing its Transitional Position in Askeptosauridae.
> Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 85: 1231–1237.
> doi: 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2011.00584.x
> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2011.00584.x/abstract
>
>
> The skull of Anshunsaurus huangnihensis Cheng, 2007, especially the skull 
> roof, is described in detail in this paper. Compared to other genera and 
> species of Askeptosauroidea, Anshunsaurus huangnihensis has some important 
> transitional characters from Askeptosaurus italicus to Anshunsaurus 
> huangguoshuensis: the rostral length related to the skull length between 
> Askeptosaurus italicus and Anshunsaurus huangguoshuensis; the postfrontal 
> existing but distinctly reduced; the posterolateral process relatedly short 
> and overlapping the parietal. The phylogenetic analysis weakly supports the 
> evolutional progress from Anshunsaurus huangnihensis to Anshunsaurus 
> huangguoshuensis. The skeletal ratios indicated that the node among the 
> Askeptosauridae ingroup. The evolutional direction of Askeptosauridae should 
> be from Askeptosaurus italicus to Anshunsaurus huangguoshuensis. The skeletal 
> ratios indicated that the evolutional progress is Askeptosaurus italicus --
> Anshunsaurus huangnihensis -- Anshunsaurus huangguoshuensis. In biogeography 
> provinces, the Askeptosauroidea taxa from south China have a close 
> relationship with those from western Tethys; however, Xinpusaurus from the 
> Late Triassic is more related to those from the eastern Pacific.