Re: Early Ceratopian

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

At 05:33 PM 10/14/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Does anyone have any information on the new ceratopian found here in the
States?  I am referring to the one that is the earliest one known (the name
has slipped from memory).  Any information would be valuable.
>
>Thanks in advance.

The dinosaur in question is NOT the earliest ceratopsian: _Psittacosaurus_
has that beaten out by tens of millions of years.

_Zuniceratops_ IS, however, the oldest known *horned* ceratopsian (or more
specifically, the oldest known brow-horned ceratopsian).  It is from the
Turonian (early Late Cretaceous) age Moreno Hill Formation of New Mexico.
Here is the reference:

Wolfe, D.G. & J.I. Kirkland.  1998.  _Zuniceratops christopheri_ n. gen. &
n. sp., a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Moreno Hill Formation (Cretaceous,
Turonian) of west-central New Mexico.  pp. 303-317. IN Lucas, S.G.,
Kirkland, J.I. & Estep, J.W. (eds.), Lower and Middle Cretaceous Terrestrial
Ecosystems.  New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 14.

The Lower & Mid-K volume was just released at SVP, and the subsequent Lower
& Mid-K conference.

Hope this helps.

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