Re: Suchosaurus, Baryonyx and Martinavis

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 4:07 AM

> After all, the Spinosauridae+Torvosauridae clade was originally named 
> Torvosauroidea, but was renamed Spinosauroidea because Spinosauridae was 
> named before Torvosauridae.  This was 'required' by ICZN rules.

It's only required _if_ Torvosauroidea happens to be regarded as a 
family-group taxon "in an author's taxonomic judgment". Call Torvosauroidea 
as a suborder, and it's unregulated... Article 29.2:

"29.2. _Suffixes for family-group names._ The suffix -OIDEA is used for a 
superfamily name, -IDAE for a family name, -INAE for a subfamily name, -INI 
for the name of a tribe, and -INA for the name of a subtribe. These suffixes 
must not be used at other family-group ranks. The suffixes of names for taxa 
at other ranks in the family-group are not regulated.

29.2.1. Names in the genus and species groups which have endings identical 
with those of the suffixes of family-group names are not affected by this 
Article.

_Examples._ The names of the following taxa at ranks below the family group 
are not affected by their having endings identical to those of suffixes of 
family-group names: the genus *Ranoidea* (Amphibia) and the species 
*Collocalia terraereginae* (Aves), *Concinnia martini* (Reptilia) and *Hyla 
mystacina* (Amphibia)."

Oh, and then there's Article 35.5, which... arguably... says _it must not be 
done at all_:

"35.5. _Precedence for names in use at higher rank._ If after 1999 a name in 
use for a family-group taxon (e.g. for a subfamily) is found to be older 
than a name in prevailing usage for a taxon at higher rank in the same 
family-group taxon (e.g. for the family within which the older name is the 
name of a subfamily) the older name is not to displace the younger name.

_Example._ The subfamily ROPHITINAE Schenck, 1866 (Hymenoptera) is 
universally included in the family HALICTIDAE Thomson, 1869, even though on 
priority alone the name of the family would be ROPHITIDAE. The precedence of 
HALICTIDAE over ROPHITIDAE is to be maintained as long as they are treated 
as subjective synonyms (at family rank), and HALICTINAE and ROPHITINAE are 
used for different subfamilies within the HALICTIDAE."

Go, Torvosauroidea! It's by far the best name of the three anyway. =8-)