Re: Literature on Paleocene

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        Reply to:   RE>Literature on Paleocene dinosaurs

Norm MacLeod wrote,
       "On Paleocene dinos I don't know what you mean by the South 
American mammals aside.  I'd love to know of any reports of 
Paleocene dinos from South America regardless of whether the 
localities are in a minefield.  ; )  Claude Albritton (1988) and Alan 
Charig (1989) both reviewed the literature on reports of Paleocene 
dinos and both concluded that many of these interpretations could 
not be ruled out.  I also know of at least two upcoming papers on 
this topic but can't discuss the details since they won't be published 
until later this year.  I think the difficulty here is philosophical.  You 
seem to want proof that these occurrences are not reworked (proof 
of a negative) whereas I'm looking for proof that they are.  In the 
absence of proof one way or the other I feel that the alternative 
interpretation of survivorship should be retained.  As you point out, 
the fact that dinosaur fossils occur in lower Paleocene sediments is 
not in dispute."

       The following paper predicts that the late Cretaceous dinosaur fauna
of India survived through the Paleocene into the Eocene, but has no data to
support their prediction.
     Van Valen, Leigh, and Robert E. Sloan. 1977.  Ecology and the extinction
of the dinosaurs.  Evolutionary Theory  Vol. 2:37-64.
      Also, information on the  "Paleocene" South American dinosaurs was
discussed in this paper.  Apparently the only hadrosaurian dinosaur described
from the Southern Hemisphere was found in beds dated provisionally as Danian
(early Paleocene).  The paper descibing the hadrosaur is:
    Casimiquela, R. M.  1964.  Sobre un dinosaurio hadrosaurido
         de la Argentina.  Ameghiniana Vol. 3:285-312.
Another piece of data which Van Valen and Sloan termed "flimsy" is a
Paleocene mammalian fauna from Laguna Umayo, Peru reported to have dinosaur
eggshells.  Van Valen and Sloan, using the mammal data, believe the beds to
be Paleocene not Cretaceous, therefore if the egg shells are actually from
dinosaurs, then they are Paleocene.
       Grambast, L., M. Martinez, M. Mattauer, and L. Thaler.  1967.
          {Perutherium altiplanense}, nov. gen., nov. sp., premier 
           Mammifere mesozoique d'Amerique du Sud.  C. R. Acad. 
           Sci. Paris.  Vol. 264:(D):707-710.
       Sige, B.  1968.  Dents de Micromammiferes et fragments
           de coquilles d'oeufs de Dinosauriens dans la faune de 
           Vertebres du Cretace superieur de Laguna Umayo (Andes
            peruviennes).  C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris Vol. 267 (D):1495-1498.
       Sige, B.  1971.  Les Didelphoidea de Laguna Umayo (formation
            Vilquechicho, Cretace superieur, Perou), et le peuplement 
             marsupial d'Amerique du Sud.  C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 
             273(D):2479-2481.
       Sige, B.  1973.  La faunule de mammiferes du Cretece superieur
            de Laguna Umayo (ande sPeruviennes).  Mus. Natl. Hist. (Paris),
            Bull.  Vol. 99 (Sci. Terre 19) [for 1972]:375-408.
Cheers,
John
_________________________________________________
Mr. John Bruner
Department of Biological Sciences, Zoology
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