RE: Compsognathus/Sinosauropteryx (was RE: Yixian Dating Again)

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

> From: Jura [mailto:archosaur@reptilis.net]
>
> Do you have any refs handy for these recent descriptions? Do any
> of them have a basis in anatomy, or is _Compsognathus_ just
> assumed to have had three fingers now because _Sinosauropteryx_ had them?
>

The most recent paper on _Sinosauropteryx_ is:
Currie P.J & Chen P. 2001 Anatomy of _Sinosauropteryx prima_ from Liaoning,
northeastern China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 38:1705-1727.
This describes the hand of this genus.

The best work on the hand of _Compsognathus_ was presented by Alan Gishlick
at SVP last year.  It has yet to be published.  However he and others have
recognized that Ostrom's identification of some of the bones in the mixed-up
hand region of Compy were not correct, and misled Ostrom into thinking it
may have been a two-fingered beast.

                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