RE: New Paper on the Roof

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

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Ivan Kwan
> Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 2:30 PM
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: RE: New Paper on the Roof
> 
> 
> Interesting...
> 
> So _Hesperosaurus_ and _Wuerhosaurus_ have been sunk into 
> _Stegosaurus? And looks like _Stegosaurus stenops_ is now 
> supposed to be synonymous with _S. armatus._ So much for 
> _Diracodon_...

That is indeed the authors' assessment. However, one could make the case for
having separate genera for _Hesp._ and _Wuerho._: however, the authors point
out the nearly-identical anatomy of these three taxa. In their
interpretation of the specimens, _Dicracodon_, _S. stenops_, and _S.
ungulatus_ all fall within the variation of _S. armatus_; because the
holotype is lost, they consider _S. longispinus_ nomen dubium.


Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216                        
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661               

Faculty Director, Earth, Life & Time Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite/
Fax: 301-405-0796

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742 USA