"O." grandis (was Re: Paranychodon questions)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

>>From page 116:
>
>"Montana, United States
>
>Eagle Sandstone (Marsh 1890b)
>
>       Theropoda
>          Tyrannosauridae"
>
>
>The Eagle Sandstone is a Campanian-age marine beach facies and
>marine offshore dune facies formation.  Unfortunately, the
>authors don't go into any detail on exactly what the
>tyrannosaur element(s) is/are.
> 
>
>Also listed as occuring in this marine formation is a taxon
>called "Ornithomimus" grandis.  No teeth there!

Same critter: "O." grandis IS the Eagle Sandstone tyrannosaurid!!

Seems O.C. Marsh (who named "O." grandis at the same time as O. velox)
noticed that the two taxa shared a common pinched morphology of the third
metatarsal...

(The toothlessness of ornithomimids was not discovered until after Marsh's
death.)

(Sadly, the type material of "O." grandis is lost, so that we can't compare
it directly with other tyrannosaurid genera).

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661