Pinnatus Aenigmaticus

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

  What with all the fun counting going on that people
enjoy when it comes to counting specimens of
*Tyrannosaurus rex* and *Archaeopteryx lithographica*,
the assignment of new species of fragmentary remains
appears to cause a quandary: Of all the specimens of
*A. lithographica* (the "lithographic ancient wing")
the fist is just a feather. At the time and further
until 1985, this sure could be comfortably assigned to
A. lithographica, but in fact, if there are two (or
even three) species represented in the material, how
does one then decide which species this feather
referes to? I would think, and suggest, that this
feather should be best assigned as "archaeopterygid
feather" should the Eichtatt specimen prove to be a
unique genus, or as *Archaeopteryx sp.* should it be a
unique species along with the Solenhofer Aktien-Verein specimen.

=====
Jaime "James" A. Headden

  Dinosaurs are horrible, terrible creatures! Even the
  fluffy ones, the snuggle-up-at-night-with ones. You think
  they're fun and sweet, but watch out for that stray tail
  spike! Down, gaston, down, boy! No, not on top of Momma!

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