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Megapnosaurus and the ethics of zoological nomenclature
From: Ben Creisler bh480@scn.org
Megapnosaurus and the ethics of zoological nomenclature
Why was Michael Raath not contacted when someone
discovered the name Syntarsus was preoccupied? A
fundamental principle of the International Code Zoological
Nomenclature is that the author of a preoccupied name
should be allowed to propose a replacement if someone
discovers the original name is a homonym. Not only is
Megapnosaurus in questionable taste (funny after a few
beers maybe), but not allowing a living scientist to
propose his own substitute name for a taxon he originally
studied and named robs him of proper authorship.
Mike is still living to my knowledge and can be contacted
at:
Michael A. Raath, PhD
Curator of Collections
106mar@cosmos.wits.ac.za
http://www.wits.ac.za/science/palaeontology/bpistaff.html
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research,
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
See these comments from a 1998 newsletter available
online:
Mike Raath recently went through the heart-wrenching step
of returning to the Natural History Museum in Zimbabwe all
the material of the small dinosaur Syntarsus which has
been in his care for the past 12 years on loan. For him
this was almost like losing a son, as he and this small
dinosaur have been closely associated since he excavated
the first specimen back in 1963! Although he says he is
relieved no longer to carry the responsibility for looking
after this extremely important and fragile material -
which now falls to the Curator of Palaeontology in
Bulawayo, Darlington Munyikwa (who completed his Honours
in our department a few years ago) - there is a major
drawback in that the steady stream of foreign visitors who
ask to see the material on their stopovers in Johannesburg
will now have to consider quite a major detour if they
want to see it.
http://www.up.ac.za/academic/acadorgs/zssa/aardvark/no2_199
8/bpi.html