A Request for Assistance on a Subject Fantastical

[Alan Kellogg <mythusmage@cts.com>]

Greetings one and all. I'm a man who likes dinosaurs, and who plays 
the game Dungeons & Dragons. Among the creatures found in D&D is the 
basilisk. Which is, in the game, an eight legged reptile which can 
turn any into stone who look into the creature's eyes. I decided I 
wanted a different sort of basilisk.

So I made it a dromæsaurid dinosaur, most closely related to the 
deinonychids and velociraptors; falling somewhere between the two 
groups. I also decided there would be three genera in the basilisk 
(basilosaur) family. But, I could come up with only one genus name; 
Basilosaurus, the Common Basilisk.

This is where you come in. I have two genera of basilisk, the 
Songbird Basilisk and the Greater Basilisk that need genus names. I 
also have 12 species of Songbird Basilisk, 7 species of Common 
Basilisk, and 3 species of Greater Basilisk that need species names. 
Since a fair number of you have practice with naming new genera and 
species I'm hoping you could assist me in this project. You will 
receive credit in my upcoming basilisk book (an electronic 
publication) and a contributor's copy should you like one.

So far I have decided on 5 species, the rest are still up in the air. 
There you have a chance to influence what sorts of basilisks get 
written up. I have three species of Songbird Basilisk; the Wren, 
Canary, and Sparrow. With two species of Common Basilisk, 
Whitefield's Common Basilisk, and the Common Basilisk.

Please note that I will chose the genus and species names from those 
submitted, though early submissions will take precedence. I will also 
be making use of alternate names in order to give the whole thing an 
air of scientific verisimilitude.

Think of this as a chance to exercise your imaginations and take a 
(brief) break from reality. Have fun with it. I look forward to your 
feedback.

Alan