ANNOUNCEMENT: GAIA Theropod Voume is Published!!!!!!

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

As promised long ago, I'm making sure that the word gets out!

The long-awaited special volume of the Portuguese earth science journal GAIA
entitled "Aspects of Theropod Paleobiology" is at last out and in my hands!!
A long and painful labor it was, but this baby is finally born..., er,
hatched!

Although this is the December 1998 issue of Gaia (!?!), the papers are
techinically dated 2000.

Perez-Moreno, B.P., T. Holtz, Jr., J.L. Sanz & J. Moratalla (eds.). 2000.
Aspects of Theropod Paleobiology.  Gaia 15.  403 pp.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: I have just today received one (1) copy of the
volume.  I do not yet have reprints; I expect the other authors are in a
similar situation.  With SVP coming up, I do not yet have time to xerox a
bunch of copies yet for interested parties.  For the general readership:
please order your copies using the information below.  For those who've
given me reprints in the past: I'll get mine off in the mail to you when I
recieve them.

ORDERING: Gaia's "orders" webpage is
http://www.naturae.pt/gaia/orderinfo.html.  Volume 15 is not yet listed, so
please email for price information.

There is an introductory note by A.M. Galopim de Carvalho, and then the
following articles.  I will BRIEFLY summarize them, but this is a very busy
day for me so a deeper description awaits for a future posting.

Holtz, T.R., Jr. Theropod paleobiology: more than just bird origins.  1-3.
        (A brief intro to the volume)

Holtz, T.R., Jr. A new phylogeny of the carnivorous dinosaurs. 5-61.
        (A not-so-brief cladistic analysis of the neotheropods.  More later.)

Heckert, A.B. & S.G. Lucas. Global correlation of the Triassic theropod
record. 63-74.
        (Title gives a good idea of the paper: emphasizes that theropods do not
seem to dominate the predatory guilds of the Late Triassic)

Rauhut, O.M.W. & A. Hungerbuhler. A review of European Triassic theropods.
75-88.
        (Consider only three taxa as valid: _Liliensternus liliensterni_,
?_Liliensternus arielensis_ (possibly a new genus), and _Procompsognathus
triassicus_.  Do not consider _Saltopus_ a theropod, and suggest it is a
_Marasuchus_-grade dinosauriform.  Supports the probable presence of
_Syntarsus_ in Europe.)

Coria, R.A. & L. Salgado.  A basal Abelisauria Novas 1992
(Theropoda-Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina.
89-102.
        (Describes the new taxon _Ilokelesia aguadagrandensis_, a form they
consider closer to abelisaurids than to _Ceratosaurus_ but outside an
Abelisauridae - Noasauridae clade.  Noasauridae, incidentally, is
_Noasaurus_ and _Ligauenio_.)

Jones, R.(R.) & D.J. Chure. The recapitation of a Late Jurassic theropod
dinosaur: a successful application of radiological surveying for locating
subsurface fossilized bone. 103-110.
        (Use of systematic searching with radiation probes to find the head of 
the
"headless wonder" allosaurid specimen.  The skull and the postcranium of
this animal (both not fully prepared) are shown).

Rich, T.H., P. Vickers-Rich, F.E. Novas, R.Cuneo, P. Puerta & R. Vacca.
Theropods from the "middle" Cretaceous Chubut Group of the San Jorge
sedimentary basin, central Patagonia. A preliminary note. 111-115.
        (At least two taxa, affinities uncertain, based on fragmentary material)

Calvo, J.O. & R. Coria.  New specimen of _Giganotosaurus carolinii_ (Coria &
Salgado, 1995) supports it as the largest theropod ever found.  117-122.
        (An isolated dentary found in 1987, which is identical to that of the 
type
but 8% bigger!)

Ryan, M.J., P.J. Currie, J.D. Gardner, M.K. Vickaryous & J.M. Lavigne.  Baby
hadrosaurid material associated with an unusually high abundance of
_Troodon_ teeth from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Upper Cretaceous,
Alberta.  123-133.
        (Was _Troodon_ hunting baby hadros?)

Carpenter, K. Evidence of predatory behavior by carnivorous dinosaurs.
135-144.
        (A detailed look at the fightin' dinos of Mongolia and an even more
detailed look at the once-bitten, twice-shy _Edmontosaurus_ from the Denver
Museum of Natural History.)

Bakker, R.T. Brontosaur killers: Late Jurassic allosaurids as sabre-tooth
cat analogues.  145-158.
        (Evidence for increased gape in allosaurids compared to sympatric
theropods)

Holtz, T.R., Jr., D.L. Brinkman & C.L. Chandler.  Denticle morphometrics and
a possibly omnivorous feeding habit for the theropod dinosaur _Troodon_.
159-166.
        (Denticle density in _Troodon_ (and therizinosauroids) plot with some
ornithischians and sauropodomorphs and iguanid lizards, but not with other
theropods.  Note that Christine Chandler's email address as listed is wrong:
she is the new Curator of Natural Science at the Putnam Museum of History &
Natural Science, and can be reached at chandler@putnam.org).

Tanke, D. & P.J. Currie. Head-biting behavior in theropod dinosaurs:
paleobathological evidence. 167-184.
        (Lots of big theropods show different types of theropod-generated 
traumas.
Read all about them!)

Mazzetta, G.V., R.A. Farina & S.F. Vizcaino. On the paleobiology of the
South American horned theropod _Carnotaurus sastrei_ Bonaparte.  185-192.
        (Biomech analysis of the Weird One.  Interpretation of _Carnotarus_ as a
swift predator with a fast but not powerful bite, which probably used its
horns and thickened skull in intraspecific fights).

Molnar, R.E. Mechanical factors in the design of the skull of _Tyrannosaurus
rex_ (Osborn, 1905). 193-218.
        (Part of Molnar's 1973 dissertation, finally published (with updates, of
course!!!). Use of space frame analysis to intepret the force regimes in the
Big Guy's head.)

Henderson, D.H. Skull and tooth morphology as indicators of niche
partitioning in sympatric Morrison Formation theropods.  219-226.
        (Suggests that _Ceratosaurus_, long-skulled _Allosaurus_, and 
short-skulled
_Allosaurus_  had distinctive feeding strategies and/or behavioural
patterns, allowing them to coexist.)

Chure, D.J., A.R. Fiorillo & A. Jacobsen.  Prey bone utilization by
predatory dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of North America, with comments on
prey bone use by dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic. 227-232.
        (Specimens of a _Ceratosaurus_-or-_Torvosaurus_-bitten _Allosaurus pubis
and a tooth-marked _Camarasaurus_ ilium.  Both are interpreted as accidental
bites during feeding, rather than intentional bone chewing.)

Chure, D.J. On the oribit of theropod dinosaurs. 233-240.
        (Discusses the "keyhole-shaped" orbit morphology of large theropods, the
distribution of suborbital flanges from the postorbital, and more.)

Christiansen, P. Strength indicator values of theropod long bones, with
comments on limb proportions and cursorial potential. 241-255.
        (Updates previous work by various authors on hindlimb scaling and 
strength
indicators, confirms that even large theropods plot among the "subcursorial"
mammals, and that even without a suspended phase while running the big guys
would be moving very quickly.)

Paul, G.S. Limb design, function and running performance in ostrich-mimics
and tyrannosaurs. 257-270.
        (Examines the morphological similarity in many aspects of hindlimb 
anatomy
of ornithomimosaurs and tyrants.)

Currie, P.J. Possible evidence of gregarious behavior in tyrannosaurids.
271-277.
        (Once again demonstrates the similar hindlimb scaling in tyrants & 
ostrich
dinosaurs.  Describes an old Barnum Brown quarry of honest-to-goodness
_Albertosaurus sarcophagus_ individuals, with many different sized specimens
included.  Suggests gregarious behavior, and speculates on the possibility
of organized hunting tactics.)

Lockley, M. Philosophical perspectives on theropod track morphology:
blending qualities and quantities in the science of ichnology. 279-300.
        (Aspects of variation, and other things, in theropod track history).

Thulborn, T. Australia's earliest theropods: footprint evidence in the
Ipswich Coal Measures (Upper Triassic) of Queensland. 301-311.
        (Title says it all, but points out the fact that these tracks show 
evidence
of Triassic theropods in relatively wet forest environments).

Lockley, M.G., C.A. Meyer & V.F. dos Santos. _Megalosauripus_ and the
problematic concept of megalosaur footprints. 313-337.
        (Deals with the ichnotaxonomy of some large theropod tracks, including 
some
new ichnotaxonomic names and combinations.)

Lockley, M.G., C.A. Meyer & J.J. Moratalla. _Therangospodus_: trackway
evidence for the widespread distribution of a Late Jurassic theropod with
well-padded feet. 339-353.
        (Additional new ichnotaxa.)

Dalla Vecchia, F.M. Theropod footprints in the Cretaceous Adriatic-Dinaric
carbonate platform (Italy and Croatia). 355-367.
        (Documents a long history (from the late Hauterivian/early Barremian to
late Cenomanian) of theropod tracks in this microplate).

Carvalho, I.S. & E. Pedrao. Brazilian theropods from the equatorial Atlantic
margin: behavior and environmental setting. 369-378.
        (Trackways from the Late K of Brazil.)

Loyal, R.S., D.M. Mohabey, A. Khosla & A. Sahni. Status and paleobiology of
the Late Cretaceous Indivian theropods with description of a new theropod
eggshell oogenus and oospecies, _Ellipsoolithus khedaensis_, from the Lameta
Formation, District Kheda, Gujarat, western India. 379-387.
        (Deals primarily with these new eggs.)

Larson, P.L. The theropod reproductive system. 389-397.
        (Summarizes a lot of recent discoveries of theropod reproduction.)

Griffiths, P.J. The evolution of feathers from dinosaur hair. 399-403.
        (An article which was rapidly overtaken by new discoveries. Argues that 
the
ancestral condition of feathers was an unbranched "hair" (non-homologous to
mammalian hair)).

Okay, that's it for articles.


                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796