Re: Saurus plurals

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Prof. Raymond Ancog wrote:

<This does remind me, how come Horner chose
_Maiasaura_ as opposed (and expected) to _Maiasaurus_?
Is this a gender thing, or whatever?>

  It is. *Saurus* is masculine, used to denote
something male, while Horner's *-saura* depicts
femininity, as suggested by *Maia-*, a goddESS, hence
feminine rules apply.

  Dinogeorge has expounded on the -orum, -arum
convention in taxa names, effectively derived from the
Latin *sorum*, a heap or pile, or bunch, of something
(or someONES).

  Should the name be derived from a place, the name is
neuter, and uses the masculine/neuter form unless
there is a separate word for the neuter; that is,
unless the place name is obviously feminine, as in
"Mary's Field" --- thus "Mary's Field dinosaur, of the
Derlich family (all of whom are female)" would be
"Mariagrisaura derlicharum."

===
Jaime A. Headden

"May I lure us, ere the mote ends us?"

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