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January, 2003 has seen the addition of no less than five names to the
Dinosaur Genera List. Two appear to be the first two new genera for 2003, one
appears to be the oldest generic name applied to a dinosaur fossil, and the
last two are two more previously unpublished synonyms for an already named
British dinosaur, Eotyrannus. I have duly recorded these in The Dinosaur
Catalogue and I'll run their Catalogue entries here as they currently stand.
The latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology introduces two new
dinosaur genera and three new species, so we add these two names as #966 and
967 respectively:
Heyuannia Lü, 2003
Sphaerotholus Williamson & Carr, 2003
The citations are, respectively:
Lü Junchang, 2003. "A new oviraptorosaurid [sic](Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria)
from the Late Cretaceous of southern China," Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology 22(4): 871–875 [December 2002 issue, published January 14, 2003].
Williamson, Thomas E. & Carr, Thomas D., 2003. "A new genus of derived
pachycephalosaurian from western North America," Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology 22(4): 779–801 [December 2002 issue, published January 14, 2003].
And these are The Dinosaur Catalogue entries for these genera as they
currently stand (apologies for the inevitable loss of typographical
information for the entries due to email and listservs; additions and
corrections welcomed). Note that two species were described for the genus
Sphaerotholus, and that the Heyuannia paper carried a misspelling of the
generic name that also gets its own minor Catalogue entry:
Heyuania Lü, 2003: Misspelling of Heyuannia
Heyuania huangi Lü, 2003
Misspelling of Heyuannia huangi
Heyuannia Lü, 2003
Heyuania Lü, 2003: Misspelling
Theropoda > Tetanurae > Coeluria > Maniraptora > Oviraptorosauria >
Oviraptoridae
Heyuannia huangi Lü, 2003†
Heyuania huangi Lü, 2003: Misspelling in original description
Late Cretaceous > Maastrichtian(?) > Dalangshan Fm.
Asia > China >Guangdong Prov. > Heyuan City > quarry near Huangsha village
HYMV1-1: Partial articulated skeleton w/ skull material, missing only
forelimbs and distal caudal vertebrae
Hypodigm APK:25/75: HYMV1-2 furcula, partial right shoulder girdle and
forelimb; HYMV1-3 partial right manus, and HYMV1-4, both associated with
holotype skeleton; and MYMV1-5, left manus; all in addition to holotype
skeleton and likely belonging to the same individual
Sphaerotholus Williamson & Carr, 2003
Ornithischia > Marginocephalia > Pachycephalosauria >
Pachycephalosauridae > Pachycephalosaurinae
Sphaerotholus buchholtzae Williamson & Carr, 2003
Upper Cretaceous > Upper Maastrichtian > Hell Creek Fm.
North America > United States > Montana > Carter Co. > locality SE¼, Sec.
5, T1S R55E
TMP 87.113.3: Skull dome
Hypodigm APK:40/0: Holotype partial skull only, originally referred to
the species Stegoceras edmontonense (Giffin, 1989) and thence to
Prenocephale edmontonensis (Sullivan, 2000)
Sphaerotholus goodwini Williamson & Carr, 2003†
Upper Cretaceous > Upper Campanian > Kirtland Shale > De-na-zin Mbr. (=
"upper shale member")
North America > United States > New Mexico > San Juan Basin > San Juan
Co. > Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness Area > Willow Wash > NMMNH locality L-3921
NMMNH P-27403: Skull dome lacking facial and palatal bones
Hypodigm APK:50/0: NMMNH P-30068 nearly complete left dentary w/
squamosal and cranial fragments, in addition to holotype skull dome
The Sphaerotholus paper carries additional taxonomic information about
pachycephalosaurians that will be included in other entries in The Dinosaur
Catalogue. I originally entered these names into the Dinosaur Genera List
with the dates 2002, because December 2002 is the cover date of the JVP, but
once I received the issue, I saw that its publication date was January 14,
2003, so I changed the year of publication to 2003.
------------------------------------------------------------
The fourth new dinosaur species for 2003 appeared in the January 23, 2003
issue of Nature. It doesn't impact the Dinosaur Genera List, since it is a
second species of the genus Microraptor, already in the List, but it inspired
me to complete the Microraptor entry for The Dinosaur Catalogue:
Microraptor Xu, Zhou & Wang, 2000
Junior objective synonym of rejected (pending) generic name Archaeoraptor
Possible senior subjective synonym of Cryptovolans
Theropoda > Tetanurae > Coeluria > Maniraptora > Deinonychosauria >
Dromaeosauridae
Microraptor gui Xu, Zhou, Wang, Kuang, Zhang & Du, 2003
Possible junior subjective synonym of Cryptovolans pauli
Lower Cretaceous > Jehol Gr. > Upper Jiufotang Fm.
Asia > China > Chaoyang Basin > Liaoning Prov. > Chaoyang Co. > 30 km SW
of Chaoyang City > Dapingfang
IVPP V13352: Nearly complete skeleton in slab and counterslab, missing
anterior portion of skull, showing detailed feather impressions
Hypodigm APK:50/100: IVPP V13320 nearly complete skeleton w/ feather
impressions, referred to this species in original description; also used in
the original description were partial skeletons with feather impressions
TNP00996, IVPP V13351, and IVPP V13476 (as Microraptor sp.), and IVPP V13477
(as Dromaeosauridae sp. indet.), the latter two from Shangheshou (3 km NW of
Chaoyang City)
Microraptor zhaoianus Xu, Zhou & Wang, 2000†
Junior objective synonym of rejected (pending) name Archaeoraptor
liaoningensis
Lower Cretaceous > Jehol Gr. > Upper Jiufotang Fm.
Asia > China > Chaoyang Basin > Liaoning Prov. > Chaoyang Co. >
Xiasanjiazi
IVPP V12330: Complete skeleton in slab and counterslab, showing feather
impressions
Hypodigm APK:100/100: Holotype skeleton only; tail vertebrae from the
IVPP V12330 counterslab were made the lectotype of Archaeoraptor liaoningensis
by Olson, 2000 (cf.), after it was discovered that they had been improperly
integrated into a slab with the holotype skeleton of Archaeovolans repatriatus
(cf.) but before IVPP V12330 had been made the holotype of Microraptor
zhaoianus; a petition to the ICZN to suppress Archaeoraptor and Archaeoraptor
liaoningensis in favor of Microraptor and Microraptor zhaoianus is in
preparation (Olshevsky, 2001)
I haven't yet had time to prepare that ICZN petition referred to above, but I
hope to have it finished later this year. Microraptor gui is, of course, the
four-winged dino-bird that has received so much publicity lately.
Xu Xing, Zhou Zhonghe, Wang Xiaolin, Kuang Xuewen, Zhang Fucheng & Du
Xiangke, 2003. "Four-winged dinosaurs from China," Nature 421(6921): 335–340
[January 23, 2003].
Prum, Richard O., 2003. "Dinosaurs take to the air," Nature 421(6921):
323–324 [January 23, 2003].
------------------------------------------------------------
In a most interesting paper on the history of dinosaur discoveries (thanks to
Tracy Ford for finding this one), Delair & Sarjeant report a dinosaur fossil
originally described by Edward Lhuyd (or Edvardus Lhuyd) in 1699 and actually
given a binominal nearly 60 years before Linnaeus introduced the current
system of biological nomenclature. While the date precludes acceptance of the
name as scientifically valid, it nevertheless qualifies for inclusion in the
Dinosaur Genera List, and supersedes Scrotum humanum Brookes, 1763 as the
oldest name applied to a dinosaur fossil in paleontological literature.
Accordingly, I add as name #968
Rutellum Lhuyd, 1699 [nomen oblitum; pre-Linnaean name: cf. Delair &
Sarjeant, 2002]
Here is The Dinosaur Catalogue entry:
Rutellum Lhuyd, 1699 [nomen oblitum]
Brontosauria > Sauropoda > Cetiosauridae
Rutellum implicatum Lhuyd, 1699†
Jurassic > Thames gravels or Coral Rag
Europe > Great Britain > England > Oxfordshire > 8 km SW of Whitney >
Carswell
Lhuyd, 1699 specimen #1352 (University of Oxford collection, lost)
Hypodigm APK: "Type" tooth only, as reported and illustrated by Delair &
Sarjeant, 2002, identified as a cetiosaurid tooth
This is the oldest species binominal of a dinosaur thus far discovered in
the literature, preceding by nearly 60 years the origin of the Linnaean
system and therefore not a scientifically valid name; catalogued here as a
nomen oblitum (forgotten name)
Delair, Justin B. & Sarjeant, William A. S., 2002. "The earliest discoveries
of dinosaurs; the records re-examined," Proceedings of the Geologists'
Association 113: 185–197.
Lhuyd, E., 1699. Lithophylacii Britannici Ichnographia, sive, lapidium
aliorumque fossilium Britannicorum singulari figura insignium, Gleditsch &
Weidmann, London [pagination not available].
The paleontological community laments the recent passing of Bill Sarjeant, a
nonpareil historian of dinosaurology and dinosaur ichnologist. The paper with
Justin Delair was published posthumously.
------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, Darren Naish informs me of two more published junior synonyms of
Eotyrannus, which become names #969 and 970 in the Dinosaur Genera List:
Kittysaurus Hargreaves, 2001 [nomen nudum -> Eotyrannus]
Fusinasus Hutt, 2002 [nomen nudum -> Eotyrannus]
The citations are:
Hargreaves, Richard, 2001. "He's daddy of the dinosaurs," The News, May 10,
2001: 13.
Hutt, S. 2002. "Mr Leng's dinosaur," The Geological Society
of the Isle of Wight Newsletter 2(6), 12–14 [December 2002].
And The Dinosaur Catalogue entries are:
Kittysaurus Hargreaves, 2001 [nomen nudum]
Junior objective synonym of Eotyrannus
Theropoda > Tetanurae > Coeluria > Tyrannosauria
Generic name revealed in a popular-science news article as an unused name
considered for the genus Eotyrannus
Fusinasus Hutt, 2002 [nomen nudum]
Junior objective synonym of Eotyrannus
Theropoda > Tetanurae > Coeluria > Tyrannosauria
Fusinasus lengi Hutt, 2002†
Junior objective synonym of Eotyrannus lengi
Generic and specific names revealed in a popular-science news article as
having once been considered for the genus and species Eotyrannus lengi
The Dinosaur Genera List is at website
http://members.aol.com/Dinogeorge/dinolist.html
Partial index: