Re: Albertaceratops (simpson's bi-annual b*tch about dino naming)

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Nick Pharris wrote:

> No, the final -us (Greek -os) or -a refers to the sex of the lizard, not of 
> the honoree (actually, I'm not sure it even has to do with the sex of the 
> lizard; my dictionary appears to indicate that _sauros_ and _saura_ are 
> just alternative words for 'lizard').

Yet, certain names do end in -saura because the honoree is female.  Such as 
_Gasparinisaura_ (after Zulma Gasparini), _Leallynasaura_ (after Leaellyn 
Rich), and _Maiasaura_, (after 'maia', Gk for 'good mother').  _Bonitasaura_ 
derives its name from the "La Bonita¡± fossil site, the name of which is 
feminine in gender.  Very feminine, in fact.  :-)

The same rationale was behind the name _Aviatyrannis_ (Avia = grandmother), 
in which -tyrannis was chosen instead of -tyrannus.

However, many ceratopsian names end in -ceratops even though the honoree is 
feminine (e.g., _Avaceratops_, _Auroraceratops_, and even "Medusaceratops"). 
 I had though "ceratops" was masculine.  But if what you say is true (and 
you know much more about such things than I do), there is no etymological 
requirement for the genders to match within a genus name.  In other words, 
it's just a convention, adopted more for imaginative effect than proper 
Latinization.

Cheers

Tim

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