A new look for Typothorax
9:46 pm
Over the past year or so, I’ve been involved with reconstructing the aetosaur Typothorax coccinarum, based on two articulated skeletons found in eastern New Mexico. A paper describing these specimens and presenting the reconstruction has just been published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, and is freely available now through the Taylor and Francis JVP website. I’m happy to say that my color painting of this Triassic tank will be gracing the cover of the May issue of the journal:
Reconstruction of Typothorax coccinarum based on skeletons from eastern New Mexico
Image by Matt Celeskey
These skeletons allowed us to revise previously published reconstructions of this aetosaur. In particular, we now have good evidence of the total number of rows of armor, the arrangement of the scutes on the belly, new insight into the appendages (particularly the shoulder girdle and feet), a more domelike carapace based on extremely wide and gently curved paramedian scutes, and the very first aetosaur reconstruction to sport cloacal spikes.
This has been a fun project to be involved with, and I thank Dr. Andy Heckert (a former coworker at the NMMNH, now at Appalachian State University) for inviting me to assist in reconstructing this armor-plated Triassic reptile.
Update 5/21: At the request of commenter dmaas, I’m uploading a detail of the head of the reconstruction. Clicking on the thumbnail will bring it up at more than twice the size of the original painting.
- Reference: Heckert, A. B., Lucas, S. G., Rinehart, L. F., Celeskey, M. D., Spielmann, J. A., and Hunt, A. P. (2010) Articulated skeletons of the aetosaur Typothorax coccinarum Cope (Archosauria: Stagonolepididae) from the Upper Triassic Bull Canyon Formation (Revueltian: Early-Mid Norian), eastern New Mexico, USA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 619–642.
- Elsewhere on the web:
- Society of Vertebrate Paleontology press release (also at Appalachian State University)
- Discovery News: Dino-Era Reptiles: Part Cow, Armadillo, Crocodile (lots of quotes from myself, the other authors & others)
- Critical review at Chinleana: I am so disappointed in the Typothorax description in the new issue of JVP