Re: Heterodontosaurid with protofeathers

[gerarus@westnet.com.au]

>> Shouldn't that be "confucii"? Oh well....

> I thought that was strange as well.  In a similar vein, we have 
> _Confuciusornis_ rather than _Confuciornis_.  I've wondered if when
> genera or species are erected that incorporate the names of revered 
> historical or religious figures, then a conscious decision is  
> made to keep the entire name intact, as a mark of respect.  After all, we 
> also have _Lazarussuchus_, which was named after Lazarus,
> a biblical (New Testament) character.

Mind you, the coiners of _Lazarussuchus_ may have wanted to avoid the point 
that "Lazarosuchus" could potentially have another interpretation - "leprous 
crocodile".

Confucius being a Latinisation of Kong Fuzi (or K'ung Fu-Tzu), perhaps it 
should even be "_kongi_"?

    Cheers,

        Christopher Taylor

http://catalogue-of-organisms.blogspot.com