Mike Raath on Syntarsus/Megapnosaurus

[bh480@scn.org]

From: Ben Creisler bh480@scn.org

Here's the reply I received from Mike Raath when I 
contacted him about the Syntarsus/Megapnosaurus issue:

Thank you for your message. Yes, I have been made aware of 
what Ivie and his co-jokers have done, and it would be a 
perversion of the truth to say that I am not upset about 
it. I had previously (late last year) been made aware by
a colleague in Germany of the fact that the name Syntarsus 
was preoccupied, and he and I were actually busy preparing 
a proposal to the ICZN when the flood of emails descended 
on me advising me of the latest developments; and I can 
tell you that the tone of most of them was that what had 
happened was rather distasteful and not very ethical. At 
no time did Dr Ivie or any of his co-authors contact me, 
either in Zimbabwe or anywhere else. If he had
written to me in Zimbabwe, the letter would have been 
forwarded to me at my address either here at Wits 
University or at the Port Elizabeth Museum,
where I spent a 9-year period before returning to Wits. My 
whereabouts have at all times been known to my colleagues 
and former colleagues. I can't avoid the conclusion that 
what they did was at least bad form, insensitive
and uncollegial, if not downright unethical, and I am 
frankly surprised at the comments attributed by Ivie to 
Jack Horner; I would certainly have expected Jack to know 
better.

I am not inclined to let the matter rest there, but at 
this stage I am not really sure of what my options may be. 
I would appreciate any comments or advice that you might 
have for me.

Thanks again for your sensitive attitude and for 
contacting me.

Yours,

Mike Raath