Re: STRANGE THEROPOD SKULLS

[Dinogeorge <Dinogeorge@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-03-01 18:08:31 EST, jaemei@hotmail.com writes:

<< I place it there because *Altispinax*, *Valdoraptor*, and *Becklespinax* 
 may all be the same dino; Beckles is very eustreptospondylid-like, and 
 *Valdoraptor* is like both *Eustreptospondylus* and *Allosaurus* in the 
 morphology of the metatarsals. I believe this is indicative enough to 
 place them all there, but a conservative _incertae sedis_ label should 
 be applied for Alti, and I will take this advice. >>

All three genera are from formations of different ages and localities within
the Wealden Group. There's no comparative evidence that they're the same dino.
_Becklespinax_ is quite primitive in vertebral morphology, despite the highly
derived neural spines, and most closely resembles _Piatnitzkysaurus_ of those
that I've seen illustrated. _Valdoraptor_ is pretty much junk, although it's
clearly not _Megalosaurus_ (the genus in which the type species was originally
created) and not tyrannosaurid (no pinched MT III). It could be _Neovenator_,
I suppose. If I ever make it to London to see the types, I'll write up
descriptions of _Becklespinax_ and _Valdoraptor_, unless somebody else
physically closer to the material is working on this already.