Category Archives: Taxonomy

A Few Things About Oviraptorosaurs

Posted on April 28, 2013 by

Subsequent to my post on Nick Longrich and colleagues proposed new taxonomy for an old oviraptorosaur, there has been some interest about some other oviraptorosaurs, and I felt it would be useful to write up a little post about those … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Paleontology, Taxonomy | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“Toroceratops” Matters, as an Open Discussion

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

So there’s this debate, which I may have discussed — more than once, twice, or thrice – before, in which it is argued that the taxa Triceratops and Torosaurus represent young adult and old adult representatives of the same species. … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleontology, Philosophy, Taphonomy, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Not Up, But Down

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

While I may wail on Linnaean Systematics and the issues with ranks, and the use and potential loss of the concept of the “genus” as an entity separate from that of the species, some authors out there are going at … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Science Reporting, Taxonomy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Genus Question — Impact of New Archosaurian Binomina

Posted on August 6, 2012 by

So, what exactly would happen if — as I suggested both here and mentioned in the comments here — we went down that slippery slope, and distinguished all species as their own unique, equivalent taxa? How many new “genus”-like names … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Systematics, Taxonomy | Tagged , | 10 Comments

In Which I Talk About “Genera” – Again

Posted on August 4, 2012 by

This post is about taxonomy and “The Genus Question.” If you do not want to read, I suggest not going below the fold. If you wish to continue, you will be rewarded with a pretty picture. The Paleobiology Database, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleobiology, Paleontology, Taxonomy | Tagged | 8 Comments

“You Keep Using That Word”

Posted on March 18, 2012 by

Behold another rant on nomenclature, posted on the Dinosaur Mailing List recently. I am slightly modifying it for consumption here.

Posted in Philosophy, Systematics, Taxonomy | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Something Is Wrong Here

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

Eugene Gaffney, turtle expert from the American Museum of Natural History & David Krause, mammal expert from the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University, both in New York State, US, have recently described  a new fossil pelomedusoid turtle … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Taxonomy | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Hell Creek Oviraptorosaur — What Does It Mean For Chirostenotes pergracilis?

Posted on January 22, 2012 by

Since the 1990′s, a few specimens have been kicking around of a particularly large oviraptorosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Unlike the specimens that form the backbone of the Chirostenotes/Caenagnathus complex, these specimens come from the Maastrichtian, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleontology, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Whether Clades Should Have No Name

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

I am posting this here because I don’t want to log down Darren’s blog with my comment, where he has posted his perspective on the new paper, so it’s going here. Valentine Fischer, Michael Maisch, and a host of other … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Science Reporting, Taxonomy | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

I Cannot Compel to Reason: Triceratops, We Done It Again

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

Earlier this year, Andy Farke took the opportunity of  a remodel to assess the skull of that classic of classic dinosaurs, Nedoceratops hatcheri. Formally named by Richard Swan Lull (completing a monograph that first OC Marsh had begun but uncompleted … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Paleontology, Philosophy, Science Reporting, Systematics, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments