Re: Status of _Caudipteryx_

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/1/01 3:05:16 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
fredruhe@xs4all.nl writes:

> The problem was in cases like the Synodontidae in which the 
>  >family was first erected for a genus like Synodus (the lizardfish), 
>  
>  This genus should have hade a family called Synodidae

>  >...but there 
>  >exists a different genus Synodon 

>  And this family could be called Synodonidae, I don't see the problem.

I'm afraid not, in both cases.  Odon and odus (or odous) are dialectical 
variants of the same Greek word.  In both dialects, the stem (the form from 
which compounds, including such things as family names, are formed) is 
odont-.  Thus, both _Synodus_ and _Synodon_ would form the family name 
Synodontidae.

(However, my point was that there are other genera in each family, and so a 
new name could be coined for one of them, based on a different genus name.)


>  What about Songzidae for a family name based on the genus Songzia, why not
>  simply Songziidae. I know, foreign languages are difficult, even for 
Chinese
>  people, or for people that translate their papers into your language!

I'm not sure what you mean.  Songziidae is correct here, no matter what the 
ICZN says.  Come on, folks!  If we're going to use Greek and Latin, let's at 
least make the effort to use them correctly!  Otherwise, find some other 
system.

--Nick Pharris