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Megapnosaurus?

Posted by michael on from the scientist-humor dept.

Spudley writes: "I was tempted to put this under the humor topic, but I guess it's best here in science. An entertaining article in USA Today tells of how a beetle expert arbitrarily changed the scientific name of a dinosaur from "Syntarsus" (Latin: "fused ankle") to "Megapnosaurus" (Latin: "big dead lizard"). Dinosaur experts are (understandably) kicking up quite a fuss about it."

1 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. The rules rule by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The rules rule and the entomologist has done what is expected of him. I have done the same thing and would do it again. The paleontologists were sloppy in not doing there homework first.

    The codes for zoology and botany can be found at:

    Zoology
    http://www.iczn.org/code.htm
    (older [1995] on-line draft at http://zeus.ruca.ua.ac.be/EvolutionaryBiology/coll /doc/iczn4txt.htm)

    Botany
    http://www.bgbm.org/iapt/nomenclature/co de/SaintLo uis/0000St.Luistitle.htm

    and

    http://www.ishs.org/ord/code.htm