Re: Eponymous Taxa [was: RE: new _Scleromochlus_ ref]

["Timothy Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jonathan R. Wagner wrote:

> I
> understand your frustration with PT, and I'm sure I share much of it.

For me, and I think I speak for Nick too, it isn't frustration with PT - I'm 
not taking issue with PT at all.  It's just that Pseudosuchia is a stupid 
name.  Dinosauromorpha is fine.  Ornithischia is fine.  Sauropoda is fine.  
Edentata is fine.  Even stupid and inappropriate genus names are fine - like 
_Arrhinoceratops_, _Basilosaurus_, or _Pararhabdodon_ - because we're stuck 
with them.

But Pseudosuchia... well it just plain sucks.  As Nick says, is it asking 
too much to give a moment's thought before naming a clade?  Having 
crocodiles within a clade that means "false crocodiles" is just dumb.  You 
don't have to overturn PT and everything it stands for just to re-name this 
particular clade.

*Phew*  It's good to get that of my chest!!

;-)


Tim




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