Re: dino tracks near Syracuse?

["Steve Brusatte" <dinoland@lycos.com>]

On Mon, 3 Dec 2001 19:11:47   
 Rob Schenck wrote:
>i dont know about that.  The tracks are from a specific period of time, so
>that in itself limits the possibilities.  I guess you coudl make a case that
>no ichnofossils can be tied to any skeletal specimin, tho that would tend to
>make the ichnofossils relatively useless.  Perhaps then you coudl compare
>one to the other though, and then they'd be usefull that way.  But anyway,
>very similar tracks are foudn next to specimins of _Coelophysis_ in New
>Mexico.  Of course you can disagree, but i tend to take Colbert's assesment
>for the moment.  Although, it seems to me that the _Grallator_ specemin is
>the senior synonym, and if anything we should refer to _Coelophysis_ as
>having been the junior synonym for it.  I guess the only real way to accept
>older names for fossils like ichnofossils is to assume that any association
>of them with skeletal specimins is not possible.

Yeah, but it doesn't matter if any ichnofossils are tied to skeletal specimens. 
 I could go out in my yard tonight and dig up a Coelophysis skeleton preserved 
dead in its tracks (wouldn't that be nice) and it still wouldn't matter.  The 
skeleton (Coelophysis) and the tracks (Grallator or any other ichnospecies) 
would get their own separate names because that is what the ICZN says, and the 
ICZN provides the rules by which paleontologists name fossil and living 
zoological specimens.  

The same is true for eggshells, worm burrows, trilobite tracks (Cruziana), 
gastroliths, and coprolites (although I've never seen the latter two named).  

Senior synonyms don't matter in the case of footprints vs. body fossils since 
they are two completely different types of fossils and are named as such.

Steve

---
***************************************************************
Steve Brusatte-DINO LAND PALEONTOLOGY
SITE: http://www.geocities.com/stegob
ONLINE CLUB: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/thedinolanddinosaurdigsite
WEBRING: http://www.geocities.com/stegob/dlwr.html
INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SITE: http://www.geocities.com/stegob/international.html
****************************************************************