Re: Coelurosauravus

[Mickey Rowe <rowe@psych.ucsb.edu>]

"Tracy Ford" <tlford@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> Slightly incorrect. The bony rods [of Coelurosauravus] extend from
> the shoulder to the hips, like Draco, the flying lizard.

There are a couple of different ways that Tracy's statement could be
interpreted, at least one of which is wrong.  The way I originally
read the statement was that Tracy was claiming that individual rods
connected the shoulder to the hips.  I don't think Tracy could have
meant that, though it is the way you'd most probably parse it if you
didn't already know what Tracy is talking about.  The more probable
interpretation is that Tracy is claiming that there is a series of
rods with the first ones attaching near the shoulder and the last ones
attaching near the hips.  That's essentially correct, but somewhat
misleading according to the most recent reconstruction I've seen.
Take a look at the two articles in _Science_ from the March 7, 1997
issue.  The primary article which contains a drawing showing the rods
splayed out as an extended wing is:

Eberhard Frey, Hans-Dieter Sues, * Wolfgang Munk, (1997). "Gliding
     Mechanism in the Late Permian Reptile Coelurosauravus",
     _Science_, 275:1450-1452.

The other article:

Bernice Wuethrich, (1997). "Paleontology: How Reptiles Took Wing",
     _Science_, 275:1419-1420.  

Contains a closeup of the rib cage of one of the specimens, and it's
clear that although the insertions points of the caudal-most rods are
near the hips, the rods are not evenly spaced -- they bunch up near
the rostral portion of the rib cage (i.e. near the "shoulders"). 

-- 
Mickey Rowe     (rowe@psych.ucsb.edu)