Re: Discovery could Endanger T.Rex Name

["Jerry D. Harris" <dinogami@hotmail.com>]

> >
> > If that's the case, Larson said, rules of paleontology
> > say the first name would take precedence.
>
> heres some gumph from the ICZN (someone will correct me if wrong !);
>
> i guess that there is a clause that says that if a name has been in
> common usage (and there is time limit for this, I forget) but that
> subsequently turns out to be preoccupied (like T rex in this case), then
> the younger (more used) one can be made a nomen protectum ?.
>
> the older name gets designated a nomen oblitum ?

  Unless I'm mistaken, the limit on nomina oblita is 150 years...?  (My 
copy of the ICZN is already packed...)  So _Manospondylus_ doesn't fall 
under the purview of being past the limit and thus cannot be used.

  However, it would be a relatively simple matter for someone to do what 
Ned Colbert did for _Coelophysis_, and appeal to the ICZN to make an 
exception in the case of _Tyrannosaurus rex_ and supercede its own rules to 
preserve the latter in favor of _Manospondylus_.  Regardless of whether or 
not there are any paleontologists on the ICZN board, I think all of them 
will know the name _Tyrannosaurus rex_, understand its widespread usage, 
probably will never have heard of _Manospondylus_, and know what kind of 
havok trying to change that will wreak!  (Too bad no one did that for the 
_Apatosaurus_/_Brontosaurus_ thing...although I myself prefer the former, I 
am constantly answering questions about the name change from both children 
and adults!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jerry D. Harris

AS OF JULY 1, 2000:

Dept of Earth & Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
240 S 33rd St
Philadelphia PA  19104-6316

Phone: (215) 898-5630
Fax: (215) 898-0964

E-mail: jdharris@sas.upenn.edu
and     dinogami@hotmail.com

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