Re: replying to pomposity

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/20/00 9:13:09 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
kinman@hotmail.com writes:

>      As for Archosauriformes, it has in my opinion improperly been given 
the 
>  suffix usually reserved for chordate orders.

Ah, but there is a subtle difference here.  Bird and fish ordinal names are 
formed by adding "-iformes" to a *genus* name [Salmoniformes = "things that 
are shaped like _Salmo_"; Falconiformes = "things that are shaped like 
_Falco_"].

Archosauriformes, Maniraptoriformes, etc., are formed from names of 
higher-level taxa.

Thus, if it is consistency you are striving for, you want Tyrannosauriformes 
or Apatosauriformes or some such, rather than "Saurischiformes", and rather 
than "Artiodactyliformes" you would want Boviformes or Traguliformes or 
Antilocapriformes, or a name based on whatever artiodactyl genus you consider 
most typical.

Nick P.