ISLE OF WIGHT THEROPOD

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

A little ornithopod tells me that certain dino-l members are trying 
their very hardest to bring an unofficial generic name for the new 
Isle of Wight theropod into use. This unoffocial name is based on the 
totally spurious misemphasised fact that the theropod was somehow 
'cat-like': something that, as I said in a previous email on this 
subject, is just untrue and the result of misunderstanding.

Inventing generic names for unofficial use is fun perhaps, yes, but 
until a name is published for the animal in question, I'm afraid you 
have to keep calling it 'the new Isle of Wight theropod'. That way we 
all know what we are talking about (cf. Fruita crocodyliform). 
However, two generic names for the animal have already been 
published: 'Lengosaurus' and 'Gavinosaurus' (both Jane Kelly in 
_Daily Mail_, 10-7-98). Both are based on the name Gavin Leng, the 
name of the local man who found the theropod. Personally I detest 
names which honour the names of people, but then I have no say in 
what this animal will be eventually called. Stay tuned.

More theropod news is set to come out of the Isle of Wight. Believe 
you, you will not **believe** it.

"Children laugh at me, women despise me"

DARREN NAISH
darren.naish@port.ac.uk