On the morphology of the skull in the mosasauridæ
1892; Wiley; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1002/jmor.1050070102
ISSN1097-4687
Autores Tópico(s)Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
ResumoA NEARLY complete specimen of PZatccaqzrs coryp/treus, Cope, found this summer by the writer in the cretaceous of Kansas, about fourteen miles southwest from Russell Springs, Logan County, makes it possible to clear up different doubtful points in the morphology of the Mosasauridz.The specimen, now in the possession of the Paleontological Museum at Munich, Bavaria, will be fully described there.I shall restrict myself to the skull, studying some of its characters which have been in doubt from a morphological standpoint.It is impossible to discuss here the difficult synonymy of the Mosasauridae.I leave it to one who has ample material to work himself through the labyrinth of names, and to find out which can be adopted.Only one word about this point.The specimen on which these researches are based agrees with Platecarpus covyp/~us, Cope ; and I hope that the final description will contain definite characters, at least of this genus.BAUfl.[VOL.VII.Cuvier,l I 808-1 836.Cuvier considers the skull of the historical Mosasaurus from Maestricht, which is known to everybody, as intermediate in osteological characters between the monitors and iguanas, T h e figure published shows both the halves of the lower jaw, the left maxillary complete, the anterior portion of the right maxillary, and both the pterygoids.What is considered by Cuvier as the right pterygoid is really the left one, and vice vema.The four processes of the pterygoid are correctly identified with the corresponding processes seen in this element in Iguana and Monitor.T h e lower jaw is also compared with that of Monitor, and it is stated that " la composition de cette mAchoire annonce de plus grands rapports avec le monitor qu'avec aucun autre saurien."Besides these bones others have been worked out afterwards from the matrix of the same piece.A cast which I have seen lately in the Museum at Cambridge, Massachusetts, exhibits a complete quadrate and jugal.GoZdfss,2 1834.I n 1834 Goldfuss gave a very exact description, with splendid figures, of a skull of a Mosasaurus found in the vicinity of Big Bend, on the Upper Missouri, and presented by Maximilian Prince of W e d , then travelling in America, to the Academy of Bonn.This is by far the best account given of the morphology of the Mosasauroid skull ; and if this important paper had been studied more carefully by subsequent writers, much confusion could have been spared." Es fehlen ihm nur die Schnauzenspitze und die zochbogen (jugal), sowie das Schlaefenbein (quadratojugale), und der Pauken-(quadratum), und Zitzenknochen (squamosum) der einen Seite."T h e following bones are described : the single premaxillary, which is co-ossified with the single nasals, forming one element ; the maxillaries ; the single frontal, showing traces of original T h e skull is in splendid condition.
Referência(s)