University College London

Mike Taylor

I know it's a bit soon to follow up [my own
post](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/09/06/bifid-brachiosaurs-batman/),
but I've been in correspondence with You Hai-Lu, lead author of the
Proc. B paper describing the new putative brachiosaurid *Qiaowanlong*.
 He's been very gracious in response to my questioning the new taxon,
and I wanted to pass on the fruits of that exchange.

Most importantly, I'd questioned whether the three bones that make up
the right pelvis of the type and only specimen might actually be from
different individuals, as the pubis seems insanely huge.  (As Tor Bertin
pointed out in a comment, "the proximal end of the pubis is
proportionally almost identical in \[*Qiaowanlong*\] as it is \[in
"*B*". *brancai*\]--then it leads to the Distal End That Ate New York".)
 You wrote that "One thing I'm sure is that the pelvic is articulated,
and also associated with the cervicals. See the attached photo I used in
my original submission." --- and here, with permission, is that figure:

::: {#attachment_2021 .wp-caption .alignnone shortcode="caption" style="width: 490px"}
[![Qiaowanlong fossil block, partly prepared, showing articulated right
pelvis in anteromedial
view](https://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-block-480px.jpeg?w=480&h=464 "qiaowanlong-block-480px"){.size-full
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image-title="qiaowanlong-block-480px" image-description=""
image-caption="<p>Qiaowanlong fossil block, partly prepared, showing articulated right pelvis in anteromedial view</p>
"
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sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px"}](http://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-block.jpeg)

Qiaowanlong fossil block, partly prepared, showing articulated right
pelvis in anteromedial view
:::

This certainly clears up any question about the association of the
pelvic bones (so [Randy was
right](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/09/06/bifid-brachiosaurs-batman/#comment-4545)).
  You notes that since this figure was prepared, the serial
identification of the cervicals has changed.  I assume that "un" in the
interpretive drawing on the right indicates unidentified bones, and it's
nice to think that further preparation might yield more secrets.

Regarding the likelihood of a full monographic description, You wrote
that "Certainly, more work will follow on Qiaowanlong, but hard to
see when this can be done."  I can sympathise, given the astonishing
rate that new taxa are leaping out of the ground in China, but I do hope
time can be found to get this done.

Other issues that came up in the comments which ought to be addressed:

- Mickey Mortimer asked "How many other brachiosaur-grade macronarians
  were included in the analysis?"  Sorry I wasn't clear in the original
  post --- there is no cladistic analysis in the published paper; and
  You, in email, wrote "Let's wait for a cladistic analysis to see
  what's the future of Qiaowanlong will be".
- Mickey also noted that "with how many basal titanosauriform taxa are
  known, and how much analyses can change with the addition or
  subtraction of one OTU, I don't think we can say anything is a
  brachiosaurid or not besides Brachiosaurus itself."  Yes, that region
  of the tree is pretty unresolved right now, but Help Is On The Way!  I
  know of at least two projects under way to do good cladistic jobs on
  the base of Titanosauriformes (neither of them by me in case anyone
  wondered!)  So it should soon be possible to meaningfully shove taxa
  like *Qiaowanlong* into existing analyses.
- Randy made an important point that I'd glossed over in my anti-tabloid
  rant: "Publishing short-form articles in high-impact journals is
  absolutely necessary to get a job and get tenure at a research I
  university and/or major museums".  It's true, I do tend to forget what
  an unusual position I'm in and that most other publishing
  palaeontologists have to wrestle with all sorts of dumbitude that I
  am, thankfully, insulated from.  As things stand, we have a system in
  which appointment boards and funding committees what to see THE EXACT
  OPPOSITE of what actually serves science; and, yes, I do understand
  that people sometimes have to play that game, however dumb.
- Nathan asked "Actually, I don't understand why Nature itself doesn't
  have an online annex for long-enough versions of the articles".  I
  feel very strongly that Online Supplementary Information is NOT the
  answer.  It doesn't count as "published", no-one cites it or trusts
  it, and journals are notoriously cavalier about losing OSIs.  Try to
  download the supplement for the *Rapetosaurus* description if you
  don't believe me.
- Yes, of course, publishing a brief description in Science, Nature or
  Proc. B and following up with a comprehensive description elsewhere
  (as suggested by Tor) is just fine.  The problem is, not many people
  do it.  Mickey Mortimer [recently analysed this on the Dinosaur
  Mailing List](http://dml.cmnh.org/2009Aug/msg00192.html) --- and found
  that only a quarter of the 33 theropods described in *Nature* in the
  last twenty-five years have been properly described elsewhere since
  then.

I'll close with a sequence of field photographs of the *Qiaowanlong*
excavation, again kindly provided by You and posted here with
permission.

[![Qiaowanlong-1-480px](https://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-1-480px.jpeg?w=480&h=360 "Qiaowanlong-1-480px"){.alignnone
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sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px"}](http://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-1.jpg)

[![Qiaowanlong-2-480px](https://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-2-480px.jpeg?w=480&h=360 "Qiaowanlong-2-480px"){.alignnone
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sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px"}](http://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-2.jpg)

[![Qiaowanlong-6-480px](https://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-6-480px.jpeg?w=480&h=360 "Qiaowanlong-6-480px"){.alignnone
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sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px"}](http://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/qiaowanlong-6.jpg)


I know it’s a bit soon to follow up my own post, but I’ve been in correspondence with You Hai-Lu, lead author of the Proc. B paper describing the new putative brachiosaurid
<em>
 Qiaowanlong
</em>
.  He’s been very gracious in response to my questioning the new taxon, and I wanted to pass on the fruits of that exchange.

Postagens de Rogue Scholar

More on Qiaowanlong already