Re: Ultrasaurus=Supersaurus (was Re: Trex femur (was : Dinofest))

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Nick Pharris wrote:

> _Ultrasaurus_: non-diagnostic sauropod (brachiosaurid?) material from 
> Korea.
> _Ultrasauros_: a mix of elements from the diplodocid _Supersaurus_ and a
> particularly large _Brachiosaurus_.  Am not personally sure which one the
> type    specimen comes from.

Zoe is correct.  The holotype of _Ultrasaurus_ - a dorsal vertebra (BYU 
9044) - was shown by Curtice et al. (1996) to belong to _Supersaurus_.  
Hence, _Ultrasaurus_ Jensen becomes a junior synonym of _Supersaurus_.  This 
_Ultrasaurus_ was officially named and described in 1985; but by then the 
official name _Ultrasaurus_ had already been used - by a Korean researcher 
for an Asian sauropod.  Dr Kim described a giant sauropod "ulna" from Korea, 
and assigned it to _Ultrasaurus_ as the new species _U. tabriensis_.  
Unknown to him, Jensen?s genus _Ultrasaurus_ had not yet been formally 
described, so Kim inadvertently coined the genus _Ultrasaurus_.  In 1991, 
_Ultrasauros_ was put forward by George Olshevsky as a replacement for 
Jensen's sauropod.  (As for the Korean sauropod, it was not as large as 
first thought: the giant ulna of this Ultrasaurus turned out to be the 
worn-down remains of a fairly unremarkable sauropod humerus.)

BYU 9462, a scapulocoracoid, was referred to _Ultrasaurus_ by Jensen (1985). 
 It does not belong to _Supersaurus_, a diplodocid.  BYU 9462 is clearly 
brachiosaurid was subsequently referred to _Brachiosaurus_ sp. by Curtice et 
al. (1996).

Oh, what a mess.

Another dorsal, BYU 5750, the holotype of _Dystylosaurus_, may also be 
referrable to _Supersaurus_.  This has not yet been published AFAIK.

The _Supersaurus vivianae_ material, the _Dystylosaurus edwini_ material 
(which comprises a single dorsal), and the "_Ultrasauros macintoshi_" 
material all come from Dry Mesa Quarry 1, Mesa County, in Colorado.  I have 
this horizon as the lower part of the Upper Brushy Basin Member, Morrison 
Formation, with an age of middle/late Kimmeridgian.

Hope this helps.

Tim

------------------------------------------------------------

Dr Timothy J. Williams

USDA/ARS Researcher
Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50014

Phone: 515 294 9233
Fax:   515 294 3163

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