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New JVP: anatomical terms
Something that may have rather broader ramifications
than the length of the paper suggests.
On:
Wilson, J.A. 2006. Anatomical nomenclature of fossil
vertebrates: standardized terms or 'lingua franca'?
JVP 26:511-518.
I must say I agree with the critique by Wilson (2006)
of the proposed replacement of the current successful
'Romerian' nomenclature by the Nomina Anatomica
Tetrapoda (NAT) of Harris (2004, 2006). I have nothing
but total respect for Jerry on both a personal and
professional level, but having just finished a
description of some new sauropod material, my
primary-author and I found Harris' new terms to be
both unwieldy and unneccessary, and instead used the
less confusing established Romerian nomenclature.
I think what is most clear is that should a 'split'
occur between Romerian and NAT users... we would have
a much worse situation.
so my question: What effect will this have on
manuscript submissions? Are we now to expect one
journal to insist on Harris (2004, 2006) nomenclature,
another sticking to the more accepted older terms
(advocated by Wilson 2006, and many others, including
myself)? Or do we, in our capacity as authors, have
the right to choose between these descriptive systems,
with no fear of predjudice for our choice? It is clear
that some editors have leanings towards one system or
the other... I would not want to waste my own, and
editors time submitting to a journal that would only
accept new terms. Similarly, would the terminology in
use be an acceptable reason for a reviewer to reject a
manuscript for publication, in absence of any other
reason? For those of us sitting and writing, these are
important issues.
Any thoughts?
Denver Fowler.
---Tom Holtz wrote:---
Greetings,
My copy of Journal of Vert Paleo 26(3) arrived
yesterday, along with the
green-covered abstract volume (with the helpful note
on the
cover: "Bring this Abstract & Program Book with you to
the Annual Meeting in
Ottawa!").
Online versions of the papers should be up within the
month, so no reason to
copy out the abstracts and such. But here are some
dino-relevant highlights:
Wilson, J.A. 2006. Anatomical nomenclature of fossil
vertebrates: standardized
terms or 'lingua franca'? JVP 26:511-518.
Jeff makes the case that, contra Harris, we should not
have a single
standardized terminologu (either NAV or NAA projected
stemward
or a new Nomina Anatomica Tetrapodorum), but instead
preserve the Romerian
terminology for non-humans, non-other mammals, and
non-birds. (Okay, more to it than that, but read it
there).
Zanno, L.E. 2006. The pectoral girdle and forelimb of
the primitive
therizinosauroid _Falcarius utahensis_ (Theropda,
Maniraptora):
analyzing evolutionary trends within
Therizinosauroidea. JVP 26:636-650.
Lindsey describes and illustrates much of the relevant
skeletal elements for
the critter, and discusses in some detail forelimb
characters used in previous phylogenetic analyses and
their observed
distribution. Gives a pectoral/forelimb-only
cladogram.
Remes, K. 2006. Revision of the Tendaguru sauropod
dinosaur _Tornieria
africana_ (Fraas) and its relevance for sauropod
paleobiogeography. JVP 26:651-669.
Based on part of Remes' diploma thesis. The supposed
"_Barosaurus_" of Africa
is not _Barosaurus_, but a stocky-limbed diplodocine
which is the sister taxon to the
_Barosaurus_+_Diplodocus_ clade (using an
updated version of Harris' recent analysis).
Consquently,
it falls back to the name _Tornieria africana_.
Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology Director, Earth, Life
& Time Program
University of Maryland College Park Scholars
Mailing Address:
Building 237, Room 1117
College Park, MD 20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone: 301-405-4084 Email: tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol): 301-314-9661 Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796
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