[Taxacom] Advice on genus name

[Robert Mill]

Dear Bob

I agree with Tom Lammers - please DON'T use Gearius. The name
Hypogearius that you mention in relation to a cave-dwelling organism
means "below the earth" - from the same two Greek words that we get our
botanical term hypogeal (germinating below-ground). Therefore "Gearius"
on its own would relate to the earth, not to a cogwheel.

As well as rota dentata, the online Modern Latin Lexicon (which can be
found at http://facweb.furman.edu/~dmorgan/lexicon/silva.htm - sometimes
takes a few minutes to fully load) lists "tympanum dentatum" under
cogwheel. As tympanum is from Greek tympanon, you could call your new
creature Odontotympanon (or Odontotympanum). To my mind at least it's
pretty euphonius. Tympanum also means a drum so depending on whether
your creature is more-or-less flat (like a cogwheel) or 3D shortly
cylindrical (like a drum) it might be more appropriate than Odontocyclos
which someone else suggested. Odontocyclus has already been used for a
plant genus in the cabbage family Brassicaceae but if it's available in
the animal kingdom either that or my suggestion Odontotympanum/on would
be suitable.

Best wishes, Robert

Dr Robert Mill
Gymnosperm Systematist
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
20A Inverleith Row
EDINBURGH EH3 5LR
Scotland, U.K.
 
Tel. + 44 (0) 131 248 2935 (direct)
Fax + 44 (0) 131 248 2901
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Bob Mesibov
Sent: 31 January 2009 02:20
To: Thomas Lammers
Cc: TAXACOM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Advice on genus name

Hi, Thomas.

Many thanks. Well, 'denti' is 'tooth-', rather than 'toothed', dentati-,
and rotatus suggests 'turning'.

I'd already tried the all-Greek Odontototrochus, which is simply awful.
Dentatirotula (little toothed wheel) isn't much better.

Gearius sounds OK in English, whether GEER-ius or Ge-AR-ius, and isn't
preoccupied, so far as I can tell. There's a Hypogearius, which derives
from hypo- geo- for this cave genus. Gearium is also euphonious.

Cheers,
Bob
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
and School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
Ph (03) 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/mesibov.html


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