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New Genus for Archaeopteryx
"Jurapteryx" revisited...
The forthcoming issue of _Acta Palaeontologica Polonica_ has the
following article:
El¿anowski, A. 2001. A new genus and species for the largest specimen of
Archaeopteryx. ? Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 46, 4, 519?532.
ABSTRACT: The Solnhofen (Sixth) specimen of _Archaeopteryx_ is assigned to
_Wellnhoferia grandis_ gen. et sp. n. on the basis of qualitative,
size-independent autapomorphies. _Wellnhoferia_ differs from _Archaeopteryx_
in a short tail with the estimated number of 16?17 caudals; a nearly
symmetric pattern of pedal rays II?IV with metatarsals II and IV of equal
length and digit IV substantially shorter than in _Archaeopteryx_; and the
number of four (instead of five) phalanges of pedal digit IV, which most
probably results from a phylogenetic reduction rather than individual
variation. A combination of large size and details of the pelvic limb
suggests a locomotor specialization different from that of _Archaeopteryx_.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jerry D. Harris
Dept of Earth & Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
240 S 33rd St
Philadelphia PA 19104-6316
Phone: (215) 573-8373
Fax: (215) 898-0964
E-mail: jdharris@sas.upenn.edu
and dinogami@hotmail.com
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~jdharris
"If one had to sum up, in one word, the reason
that human beings have not fulfilled, and never
will fulfill, their ultimate potential, that word
would be: 'meetings.'" -- Dave Barry
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