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Dryosaurus, a hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the upper jurassic of north America and Africa postcranial skeleton

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Kurzfassung

Es wird eine vollständig illustrierte Beschreibung der postcranialen Anatomie des zur Familie der Hypsilophodontidae gestellten OrnithischiersDryosaurus altus (Marsh 1878) aus der nord-amerikanischen Morrison-Formation gegeben, der vermutlich artgleich mitDysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki (Virchow 1919) aus dem Kimmeridigium der ostafrikanischen Tendaguru-Formation ist. (Janensch 1950 und Huene 1956 hatten die beiden damais unterschiedenen Gattungen der Familie der Camptosauridae zu-geordnet. Galton hat schon 1977Dysalotosaurus mitDryosaurus synonymisiert.) Der genaue anatomische Vergleich der beiden Arten läßt nur geringe, im Bereich der Variabilität liegende Unterschiede erkennen. Es ist der im Rahmen der Wirbeltierpaläontologie bisher sicherste Nachweis spezifischer Übereinstimmung, der auf eine Landverbindung zwischen dem nördlichen Laurasia und dem südlichen Gondwana zu Beginn des oberen Oberjuras schließen läßt. Sie wird auf dem Wege über das heutige Mittel - und über Süd - Amerika vermutet.

Abstract

A well illustrated description is provided of the postcranial anatomy of the hypsilopho-dontid dinosaurDryosaurus altus (Marsh) (Reptilia: Ornithopoda) from the Upper Jurassic of western U.S.A. Detailed comparisons with all elements of the postcranial skeleton ofDryosaurus lettowvorbecki (Virchow) from the Upper Jurassic of Tanzania, East Africa show that these two species are very similar and border on being conspecific. This close similarity provides important evidence for the existence of a land connection between northern Laurasia and southern Gondwana sometime during the early Late Jurassic.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Bridgeport, 06602, Bridgeport, Ct., USA

    Peter M. Galton

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Galton, P.M. Dryosaurus, a hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the upper jurassic of north America and Africa postcranial skeleton. Paläont. Z. 55, 271–312 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02988144

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