Re: ICZN or NOT!!!

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Steven Mahon wrote:

> > Lycorhinus 1924 > Heterodontosaurus 1962

_Lycorhinus_ ("wolf snout") was thought to be a mammal back when it was 
discovered and described.  It was an easy mistake to make, since only a 
lower jaw was known for _Lycorhinus_, and this did show a rather mammal-like 
heterodont dentition.  It was not until after the discovery of 
_Heterodontosaurus_ that _Lycorhinus_ was recognized as an ornithischian of 
the family Heterodontosauridae.

These things happen quite often in paleontology.  Oddball taxa are 
discovered, and are difficult to assign and/or are assigned incorrectly - 
until better material of a this or a related taxon turns up, and the 
"oddball" turns out to be fairly typical of a whole new group.  For example, 
_Rapator_ is the first alvarezsaurid genus to be named. _Therizinosaurus_ 
(which was originally thought to be a turtle!) doesn't look too unusual when 
compared to segnosaurids.

> > Yangchuanosaurus 1978 > Sinraptor 1994

These two theropod genera are very similar, and may be the same.  
Nevertheless, Sinraptoridae can remain a valid family even if _Sinraptor_ 
becomes a junior synonym of the earlier-named _Yangchuanosaurus_.  This 
situation has a precedent: _Caenagnathus_ is probably a junior synonym of 
_Chirostenotes_, and _Chirostenotes_ is a member of the family 
Caenagnathidae.




Tim

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