Re: [dinosaur] Keresdrakon, new pterosaur from Cretaceous of Brazil (free pdf)

Ben Creisler

I may put together a longer post on the topic of names.

The bottom line here is Neo-Latin is distinct from classical Greek and Latin. Simply put, Neo-Latin in nomenclature is shaped by usage and there are many examples (even dating back to Linnaeus) of forming names in non-classical ways.

In the case of Greek keressiphanetos, the first part is an epic dative plural keressi of Keres "by the Keres" combined with the singular adjectival participle form phoretos "carried" (from Greek phero "carry, bear").

There were also some similar words with a dative plural such as Âoresibates or oressibates "roaming in the mountains" with a plural dative (oresi or oressi (poetic)) of Greek oros "mountain."

For all the meanings of the dative in Ancient Greek, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dative_case

In both Greek and Latin, the dative could sometimes be used to show possession.

So "Keressidrakon" Âwith a plural dative maybe could mean "dragon to the Keres" but Âthis is getting pretty elaborate.

There are many examples in Neo-Latin zoological names in paleontology in which two nouns are combined without modifying the ending of the first word.

Mosasaurus Conybeare, 1822 meant as "the saurus of the Meuse" [Latin Mosa]

https://books.google.com/books?id=yGkPAAAAYAAJ&q=Mosasaurus#v=snippet&q=Mosasaurus&f=false

ÂJ. Parkinson. 1822. Outlines of Oryctology. An Introduction to the Study of Fossil Organic Remains; Especially of Those Found in the British Strata: Intended to Aid the Student in His Inquiries Respecting the Nature of Fossils viii-350

It gets a bit messy because Parkinson changed the spelling to Mosaesaurus (using a genitive "of the Meuse") in later editions of the book.

Edward Drinker Cope also combined nouns in the nominative case in names such as: Camarasaurus "chambered lizard" from Greek kamara "vault, chamber" (having chambered vertebrae); Platecarpus "oar-wrist" from Greek plate "oar" + karpos "wrist" (for the shape of the bones); Thecachampsa "sheath (tooth) crocodile" Greek theke (or theka) "sheath" + khampsa "crocodile" (for the hollowed out conical interior of the teeth). Note, though, that the first word ends in a vowel.Â

Other examples include Confuciusornis, Xiphosura, etc., where Âfor ease of pronunciation or clarity of etymology, a first noun is left unmodified with a grammatical ending intact with a consonant before a vowel.Â

In principle, I don't see much difference in combining the nominative plural Keres "spirits of death" Â(to preserve a meaning distinct from singular Ker "goddess of death") with singular drakon, except that there is not a vowel ending on the first word.Â

However, Greek had amphisbainaÂ (amphisbaena) for serpent that could go forward or backward with a head at each end, and mysphonon "mousetrap" with an s retained.ÂÂ

The pluralÂ+ singular combination is unusual but I suspect there are other examples in Neo-Latin generic names. (None come to mind immediately, though...)

Note that in species names, the ICZN requires that multi-word species names for places, etc., be spelled as a single word.

Names like Keresdrakon, Camarasaurus, Platecarpus, etc.,Â with grammatical endings on the first part retained could be considered syntactic compounds rather than stem-formed compounds that use the stem form (without a grammatical ending) and a connecting vowel (o or i).

On Fri, Aug 23, 2019 at 1:31 AM Tim Williams <tijawi@gmail.com> wrote:

I take your point, and the inspiration behind the name _Keresdrakon_
is impressive.Â However, I'm wary of names that look like two (or
more) nouns stuck together without any attempt to link them.Â ÂThe
theropod name _Notatesseraeraptor_ (nota + tesserae +Â raptor =
feature + mosaic stones + robber) is a case in point, and one of the
worst examples in recent memory: the name fails to convey the intended
meaning ('predator with an intermixture/mosaic of features').Â ÂNot
that I want to directly compare _Keresdrakon_ with a nomenclatural
disaster likeÂ _Notatesseraeraptor_.Â I also understand why
"Kerodrakon" or "Kerdrakon" might fall afoul in Brazilian Portuguese,
in light of the local meaning of kero/ker.Â :-)

Could _Keresdrakon_ have been "Keressidrakon" or something similar,
rather than simply Keres + drakon?Â Etymologically speaking, does
_Keresdrakon_ express the intended meaning?Â (Not a criticism, I'm
genuinely curious - Ben, Borja...?)

On Wed, Aug 21, 2019 at 8:53 PM Borja Holgado <bortx.holgado@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Ben, thank you quick and fine clarification.
>
> As co-author of the paper, we intentionally used the plural and the translation ought to be "the dragon of the Keres". As a funny fact, "Kero" or "Ker" are homophones of "I want" or "you/he want(s)" in Brazilian Portuguese (respectively)... and I am not sure if Brazilian people would like this dragon for breakfast or dinner!
>
> Cheers,
> Borja
>
> Missatge de Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com> del dia dc., 21 dâag. 2019 a les 2:58:
>>
>>
>> Neo-Latin is what usage makes it, so a syntactic compound (rather than a stem-based compound) with a pluralÂ and a singular might be OK. In the singular, Ker meant the goddess of death, so using the stem ker- or kero- might not convey the idea intended with the plural Keres.
>>
>> Ker goddess of death
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.perseus.tufts.edu_hopper_text-3Fdoc-3DPerseus-253Atext-253A1999.04.0057-253Aentry-253D-2Akh-252Fr&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=mFidexcLxqwzT6bZgT04ZKrzbSBwu1dNO8TaFUZPlps&e=
>>
>>
>> Greek had a compound:
>> keressiphoretosÂ "urged on by the Keres"
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.perseus.tufts.edu_hopper_text-3Fdoc-3DPerseus-253Atext-253A1999.04.0058-253Aentry-253D-2Akhressifo-252Frhtos&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=YHghO-z4Vbyf5S6Rp8MbR1sn54swjx_9QF0GxefwB84&e=
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lsj.gr_wiki_-25CE-25BA-25CE-25B7-25CF-2581-25CE-25B5-25CF-2583-25CF-2583-25CE-25B9-25CF-2586-25CF-258C-25CF-2581-25CE-25B7-25CF-2584-25CE-25BF-25CF-2582&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=N09sHBWProazstmoVACrTTiMMOCE4UmuDEM9FT7UPwY&e=
>>
>> Virus-free. www.avg.com
>>
>> On Tue, Aug 20, 2019 at 7:18 PM Tim Williams <tijawi@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> The name (_Keresdrakon_) is odd.Â It's named after the Keres, the "deathspirits who personified violent death in Greek mythology and are associated to doom and/or plunder".Â It's a great idea to name a pterosaur after the Keres - nothing wrong here.Â However, "Keres" is plural.Â The singular is "Ker".Â Â"_Keresdrakon_" looks very 'cut-and-paste'.Â The name would perhaps be more appropriately rendered as "Kerdrakon" or "Kerodrakon".Â (Ben - any comments?)
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 21, 2019 at 1:47 AM Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ben Creisler
>>>> bcreisler@gmail.com
>>>>
>>>> A new paper in open access:
>>>>
>>>> Free pdf:
>>>>
>>>> Keresdrakon vilsoni gen. et sp. nov.
>>>>
>>>> Alexander W.A. Kellner, Luiz C. WeinschÃtz, Borja Holgado, Renan A.M. Bantim & Juliana M. SayÃo (2019)
>>>> A new toothless pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from Southern Brazil with insights into the paleoecology of a Cretaceous desert.
>>>> Anais da Academia Brasileira de CiÃncias 91, suppl.2: e20190768
>>>> doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__dx.doi.org_10.1590_0001-2D3765201920190768&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=m3i255MnFpriQn06WksgSk5QJEyi-e0K-ink8dkXUFE&e= .
>>>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.scielo.br_scielo.php-3Fscript-3Dsci-5Fabstract-26pid-3DS0001-2D37652019000400517-26lng-3Den-26nrm-3Diso-26tlng-3Den&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=ostglfzz-DhE1zR4zudmI4VlMIo4vc_djENCzXaAbEA&e=
>>>>
>>>> Free pdf:
>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.scielo.br_pdf_aabc_v91s2_0001-2D3765-2Daabc-2D91-2Ds2-2De20190768.pdf&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=ml6wIdrISjKrvQRTyUEcNCEnvDDZzZ6v0982TFCTCxI&e=
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The first pterosaur bone bed from Brazil was reported in 2014 at the outskirts of the town Cruzeiro do Oeste, ParanÃ State, in the Southern region of the country. Here named 'cemitÃrio dos pterossauros' site, these outcrops were referred to the Goio-ErÃ Formation (Turonian-Campanian) of the CaiuÃ Group (Bauru Basin) and revealed the presence of hundreds of isolated or partially articulated elements of the tapejarine pterosaur Caiuajara and fewer amounts of a theropod dinosaur. Here we present a new tapejaromorph flying reptile from this site, Keresdrakon vilsoni gen. et sp. nov., which shows a unique blunt ridge on the dorsal surface of the posterior end of the dentary. Morphological and osteohistological features indicate that all recovered individuals represent late juveniles or sub-adults. This site shows the first direct evidence of sympatry in Pterosauria. The two distinct flying reptiles coexisted with a theropod dinosaur, providing a rare glimpse of a paleobiological community from a Cretaceous desert.
>>>>
>>>> ====
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> News (in Portuguese):
>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__g1.globo.com_sc_santa-2Dcatarina_noticia_2019_08_20_pesquisadores-2Dde-2Dsc-2Ddescobrem-2Dnova-2Despecie-2Dde-2Dpterossauro-2De-2Dbatizam-2Dde-2Ddragao-2Despirito-2Dda-2Dmorte.ghtml&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=Tx0MvRh9fZJEvF5uqYFxMirSKnxIRpZsvQCZMQ7fa9A&e=
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.jmais.com.br_unc-2Dparticipa-2Dde-2Ddescoberta-2Dhistorica-2Dem-2Dcruzeiro-2Ddo-2Doeste_&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=Bun60-aZnVV3zgq7CNDix-6JzA00F_MqiAWqllccvjI&s=WH-eTm7VLRmQeGMVCed8SSzlFXnIYU-pvXSxmxFCk-o&e=
>>>>
>>>> Virus-free. www.avg.com
>
>
>
> --
> Borja Holgado, PhD student
> Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates
> Department of Geology and Paleontology
> Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
> Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, SÃo CristÃvÃo, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil