Masiakasaurus Monograph Published

["Andrew A. Farke" <afarke@gmail.com>]

Another great monograph on the dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous of 
Madagascar is now out, featuring extensive text, figures, and a 
fantastic life restoration by Lukas Panzarin. I had the distinct 
pleasure of helping to excavate many of the specimens figured here, so 
it's great to see it published!

The paper is freely available as a PDF, at the links below.

Andy

*****************
New Materials of Masiakasaurus knopfleri Sampson, Carrano, and Forster, 
2001, and Implications for the Morphology of the Noasauridae (Theropoda: 
Ceratosauria)
Matthew T. Carrano, Mark A. Loewen, and Joseph J. W. Sertich
viii + 53 pages
2011 (Date of Issue: 18 January 2011)
Number 95, Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology

ABSTRACT
Osteology of the noasaurid theropod Masiakasaurus knopfleri Sampson et 
al., 2001, is now two-thirds complete. We describe Masiakasaurus 
knopfleri in detail on the basis of examination of new specimens and 
emphasis on previously unknown elements. The skull is anteroposteriorly 
long but low in height, unlike the foreshortened abelisaurid condition. 
Premaxillary teeth are procumbent, like those of the dentary. Frontal 
bones are flat and unornamented, but the lacrimal and postorbital 
exhibit surface texturing. The braincase resembles that of abelisaurids 
but is more highly pneumatized. The neck is curved anteriorly but 
horizontal posteriorly, and it transitions to the trunk without 
significant proportional changes. Centrum pneumaticity appears confined 
to the neck and anterior trunk. The sacrum includes six vertebrae, and 
the expanded transverse processes of caudal vertebrae may articulate 
with caudal ribs. The scapulocoracoid is large and broad. The ilium is 
both anteroposteriorly long and dorsoventrally deep, and it bears pegs 
for articulation with sockets on the pubis and ischium, as in other 
ceratosaurs. The nearly complete pes shows no particular locomotor 
specializations and allows reinterpretation of the “raptorial” pedal 
ungual of Noasaurus as a manual element. These new specimens also 
illuminate the morphology of other noasaurids, especially those from the 
Lameta Formation.

In addition to Madagascar, noasaurids are known from Europe, India, 
South America, and Africa, spanning at least Aptian–Albian through 
Maastrichtian time. The new materials of Masiakasaurus increase 
character resolution within Abelisauroidea, identifying many formerly 
equivocal features as synapomorphies of the nodes Noasauridae, 
Abelisauridae, or Abelisauroidea. Unfortunately, the fragmentary nature 
of nearly all other noasaurids obviates any meaningful ingroup 
resolution, and as a result no particular evolutionary or biogeographic 
scenarios for the clade can presently be supported (or rejected) with 
confidence.

Freely downloadable at:
http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Paleobiology/sc_RecordSingle.cfm?filename=SCtP-0095

Direct link to PDF:
http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Paleobiology/pdf_hi/SCtP-0095.pdf