African fossil vertebrates

[Michael Mortimer <mickey_mortimer111@msn.com>]

Durand, 2005. Major African contributions to Palaeozoic and Mesozoic 
vertebrate palaeontology .Journal of African Earth Sciences. In Press.

Here's a new article that shows the importance of not having one person 
review such a broad category as African fossil vertebrates.

Blikanasaurus is discussed as a prosauropod (based on its original 
description), while Antetonitrus and Melanorosaurus are called sauropods 
(based on Yates' new papers).  Kitching and Raath's (1984) synonymization of 
Melanorosaurus with Euskelosaurus is brought up as if relevent.

Megapnosaurus rhodiensis (sic) is "known only from fragmentary skeletons", 
because only the description of the holotype partial skeleton and some 
referred fragments from South Africa are referenced.

Carroll (1988) is given as the reference for 'some' believing that 
Vulcanodon is intermediate between prosauropods and sauropods.  Barosaurus 
and Dicraeosaurus are apparently cetiosaurids, while Cetiosaurus 
mogrebiensis was renamed Atlasaurus imelakei. Janenschia is a Middle 
Jurassic brachiosaurid.  Rebbachisaurus and Nigersaurus are discussed under 
brachiosaurids.  "It now seems as if Lapparentosaurus was based upon 
juvenile material later ascribed to Bothriospondylus of which a partial 
skeleton has been discovered in Europe."  Er, no.  That's backwards.  
Lapparentosaurus was based on material previously ascribed to 
Bothriospondylus.  "The material initially referred to as Bothriospondylus 
in Madagascar consists of a single tooth and is now regarded as 
indeterminate."  No, the holotype of Bothriospondylus madagascariensis 
consists of vertebrae and limb elements.  Algoasaurus is a titanosaurid, and 
Paralititan is "the largest titanosaur known".

The theropod foot apparently originated during the "initial development of 
bipedalism".  Maybe Durand is a BCFist who advocates basal dinosaurian 
quadrupedality?  We have the new family Tetanuridae.  "The abelisaurids 
Majungatolus and Majungatholus from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar were 
much larger (8?9 m in length) however and could have been the top predators 
of their time (Sues and Taquet, 1979)."  I'm sure Sues and Taquet mentioned 
neither Majungatholus nor the imaginary Majungatolus as predators in their 
paper, since they were describing Majungatholus as a pachycephalosaur.  
Spinosaurus is semi-aquatic.  "Carchardontosaurus, which was larger than 
Tyrannosaurus, is the biggest terrestrial carnivorous dinosaur discovered so 
far."  Durand might have just been envious of South America when it came to 
Paralititan vs. Argentinosaurus, but there's no need to exaggerate 
Carcharodontosaurus' size when you have Spinosaurus on your continent.

Mickey Mortimer