Taxonomic status of Seismosaurus hallorum, a Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from New Mexico
- ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Andrew B. Heckert Ph.D., Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- Appalachian State University (ASU )
- Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
Abstract: The holotype of the Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur Seismosaurus hallorum consists of part of the thoracic and caudal vertebrae, most of the sacrum and pelvis, some ribs and chevrons and an incomplete femur. Reexamination of the holotype indicates that Seismosaurus hallorum differs little from Diplodocus, and none of the
morphological differences are significant enough to justify a separate genus. Particularly important to this conclusion has been careful re-examination and further preparation of the ischium of the S. hallorum holotype, which indicates that the distal, hook-like process originally described was actually the tip of a vertebral neural spine and sandstone matrix adhering to the ischium. We consider Seismosaurus to be a junior subjective synonym of Diplodocus. We suggest that Diplodocus hallorum is also a junior subjective synonym of D. longus, but a careful taxonomic revision of the species of Diplodocus is needed to verify this suggestion.
Taxonomic status of Seismosaurus hallorum, a Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from New Mexico
PDF (Portable Document Format)
20503 KB
Created on 12/7/2010
Views: 4154
Additional Information
- Publication
- Lucas, S.G., Spielmann, J.A., Rinehart, L.F., Heckert, A.B., Herne, M.C., Hunt, A.P., Foster, J.R., and Sullivan, R.M., (2006) Taxonomic status of Seismosaurus hallorum, a Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, v. 36, p. 149-161. Archived in NC DOCKS with permission of the editor. The version of record is available at: http://econtent.unm.edu/
- Language: English
- Date: 2006