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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."

5 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. Dinosaur scientists should get a sense of humor by Violet+Null · · Score: 4, Insightful

    For those curious about why the renaming is being done by a beetle guy...

    Until now. Entomologist Michael Ivie of Montana State University in Bozeman, one of the scientists who noted that a beetle found in 1869 already had the name Syntarsus, sent a January corrective notice to the insect journal Insecta Mundi.

    Under the rules of scientific nomenclature, Ivie and his colleagues were entitled to rename Syntarsus, as the ones who caught the mistake.

    So you may not like the name. But the guy is following the rules. It's funny. Laugh.

  2. Big "dead" lizard? by jfengel · · Score: 3, Informative

    My Greek is rusty, but "dead" would be "nekros". Is he going for "apnoi", "not breathing"? As in "big not-breathing lizard?"

    Well, at least it's all Greek, rather than the usual Greek-Latin mush (e.g. tyrannosaurus).

    Omnia Mihi Lingua Graeca Sunt.

    1. Re:Big "dead" lizard? by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 3, Informative
      Yes, it's really "big breathless lizard", and it's Greek, not Latin as the article states.

      But tyrannosaur isn't a "Greek-Latin mush". "Tyrannos" is Greek, although as "tyrannus" it was eventually taken up into Latin. But that was later, it was Greek first, and was famously applied to the absolute rulers of the Archaic period. Perhaps you're thinking of something like "australopithecus", which is Latin "australis", "southern" + Greek "pithekos", "ape.

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
  3. Don't Get Mad, Get Even by John+Hasler · · Score: 3, Funny

    The dinosaur people should rename one of Ivie's species "little dead bug".

    The beetle people are burning up the namespace. They should be required to name their critters with GUID's.

    Or maybe the scientific community needs to reconsider the idea of globally unique species names. Who would be confused by a beetle and a dinosaur having the same species name?

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
  4. 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