Re: BAD vs. BADD (was: Re: Most popular/common dinosaur misconceptions)

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Nick Pharris wrote:

> Sorry to butt my head in here again to argue for names that actually make 
> sense etymologically, but I hate both those names.

Are the names Osteichthyes or Sarcopterygii any worse than, say, Sauropoda, 
Theropoda, Ornithopoda, Saurischia, or Ornithischia...?  Or even 
Maniraptora, the vast majority of which do not have a raptorial manus.

> Have they ever been defined phylogenetically?  If not, I'd suggest 
> replacements, perhaps something on the order of Osteophora ('bone bearers') 
> for Osteichthyes and Sarcoscelidea ('fleshy limbs') for Sarcopterygia.

As with the names I mentioned above, there is a historical usage to these 
names.  We and other tetrapods did evolve from/within the bony-skeletoned, 
fleshy-limbed fishes, so our finned ancestors deserve some credit.  :-)

Cheers

Tim