RE: What is Liassaurus

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

> From: owner-VRTPALEO@usc.edu [mailto:owner-VRTPALEO@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Michael Lange
> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 7:00 AM
> To: VRTPALEO@usc.edu; dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: What is Liassaurus
> 
> Dear list,
> 
> I wonder, what is Liassaurus? I'd also be interested to know 
> in which paper the taxon was erected.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Michael

This "taxon" has never been formally erected. It shows up on the internet, but 
is not a formal name. It is listed in work that
started life as an unpublished manuscript by Welles and Powell, and later 
ammended by Pickering (who has spread it around to various
peoples).

The material in question is from the same quarry as specimens of Sarcosaurus, 
and may in fact be the limb material of this dinosaur.

Now, as to what Sarcosaurus is: that remains a matter of debate. A basal 
neotheropod of some stripe.

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, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

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