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Re: Megapnosaurus and the ethics of zoological nomenclature
Mike,
It sounds like you certainly tried to contact Raath. Obviously your "well-known
dinosaur worker" was operating H.U.A.
How is Jack these days?
Des Maxwell
>>> Michael Ivie <mivie@gemini.oscs.montana.edu> 02/02/02 12:44PM >>>
This is a valid question. When the requirement of a new name first came
to light for us in 1996, I sent a letter to Dr. Raath at the last address
I had for him, in Zimbabwe. No answer was received. I did a websearch
from him at that time, and found no other address for him. I then
contacted a well-known dinosaur worker, who told me that Dr. Raath had in
fact died. We proceeded on the basis of that information, having waited a
considerable period after sending the letter before submitting the note.
Clearly, my source was mistaken about Dr. Raath's death, but I did go
through the process of writting to Dr. Raath and waiting several years
before proceeding. I am glad to hear that he is alive, after all.
Michael Ivie
On Sat, 2 Feb 2002 bh480@scn.org wrote:
> 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
>
>