Misplaced Pages

#202797

91-406: " Archaeoraptor " is the informal generic name for a fossil chimera from China in an article published in National Geographic magazine in 1999. The magazine claimed that the fossil was a " missing link " between birds and terrestrial theropod dinosaurs . Even before this publication, there had been severe doubts about the fossil's authenticity. A further scientific study showed it to be

182-508: A forgery constructed from rearranged pieces of real fossils from different species. Zhou et al. found that the head and upper body belong to a specimen of the primitive fossil bird Yanornis . A 2002 study found that the tail belongs to a small winged dromaeosaur , Microraptor , named in 2000. The legs and feet belong to an as-yet-unknown-animal. The scandal brought attention to illegal fossil deals conducted in China. Although "Archaeoraptor"

273-556: A halszkaraptorine dromaeosaurid, and Latenivenatrix mcmasterae , the largest known troodontid. In 2019, Currie coauthored a study describing the fossil hagfish Tethymyxine tapirostrum found in the Hâdjula Lagerstätte, a fossil site of Cenomanian age in Lebanon, as well as one which described Mimodactylus libanensis , a pterosaur from that same locality. In 2020, Currie, together with longtime collaborator Rodolfo Coria ,

364-557: A species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in the nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

455-489: A figure illustrating the point that one of the legs and the tail are counterparts that were composited into the main slab. On August 20 Nature rejected the paper, indicating to the Czerkases that National Geographic had refused to delay publication, leaving too little time for peer review. The authors then submitted the paper to Science , which sent it out for peer review. Two reviewers informed Science that "the specimen

546-643: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

637-621: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

728-399: A major proponent of the theory that birds are descended from dinosaurs , as did his finding that tyrannosaurids, along with many other non-avian theropod lineages, possessed furculae , a trait previously believed to be exclusive to birds and absent from non-avian dinosaurs. As part of the joint China-Canada Dinosaur Project , he helped describe two of the first dinosaur specimens from

819-483: A maximum...of five...separate specimens", but the Czerkases angrily denied this and Aulenbeck only reported this to Currie. Currie did not inform National Geographic of these problems. On August 13, 1999, the team submitted a manuscript titled "A New Toothed Bird With a Dromaeosaur-like Tail" under the names of Stephen Czerkas, Currie, Rowe, and Xu, to the journal Nature in London. The paper mentions two places and includes

910-433: A new organism will be inadvertently scooped by some witless journalist." In October 1999, after having been informed by Currie of the problems and seeing the specimen for the first time, Xu noticed that the tail of "Archaeoraptor" strongly resembled an unnamed maniraptoran dinosaur that he was studying—later to be named Microraptor zhaoianus . He returned to China and traveled to Liaoning Province where he inspected

1001-468: A novel dromaeosaurid outside any known clade of eudromaeosaurs. Currie has published multiple papers on the cranial anatomy of various dinosaurs. Together with Rodolfo Coria , he published a detailed description of the braincase of the large carcharodontosaurid Giganotosaurus carolinii in 2003, which led him to believe that Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus were very closely related genera. In 2017, he and Ariana Paulina-Carabajal wrote

SECTION 10

#1732852358203

1092-436: A paper on the anatomy of the well-preserved braincase of Murusraptor barrosaensis , finding it to be more similar to tyrannosaurids than to allosaurids or ceratosaurids . A year later, he coauthored a study detailing the endocranial morphology of the ankylosaurines Talarurus plicatospineus and Tarchia teresae . In 2019, together with David Christopher Evans , Currie described newly discovered cranial material of

1183-476: A rare fossil of a toothed bird, complete with feather impressions. The fossil broke into pieces during collection. Nearby, in the same pit, he found pieces including a feathered tail and legs. He cemented several of these pieces together in a manner that he believed was correct. He knew that it would make a more complete-looking and, thus, more expensive fossil. It was sold in June 1998 to an anonymous dealer and smuggled to

1274-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

1365-469: A site mentioned by Barnum Brown that featured 12 specimens of Albertosaurus from various age groups. Currie was also involved in the discovery of a bonebed which evidenced gregarious behaviour in the caenagnathoid Avimimus . In 2023, Currie co-authored a paper describing evidence from the Danek Bonebed that Albertosaurus engaged in cannibalism. Currie has made important contributions to

1456-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

1547-579: A team describing the Mongolian oviraptorid Nomingia gobiensis . In 2004, he was involved in the description of Atrociraptor marshalli . In 2009, he contributed to the scientific paper describing Hesperonychus elizabethae , the first known microraptorine found in North America . In 2012, Currie, along with David Christopher Evans and other colleagues, described the leptoceratopsids Gryphoceratops morrisoni and Unescoceratops koppelhusae from

1638-565: A team of twelve scientists, described Ischioceratops zhuchengensis from Shandong Province . In 2016, he and Gregory Funston described Apatoraptor pennatus , a novel caenagnathid taxon from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta . In 2017, Currie helped describe Aepyornithomimus tugrikinensis , the first species of ornithomimosaur found in the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia , Halszkaraptor escuilliei ,

1729-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

1820-596: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

1911-649: Is no longer the subject of scholarly dispute." Though playing the role of "terrestrial dinosaur" in the "Archaeoraptor" affair, the Microraptor , showing wings and clear traces of rectrices , is generally assumed to have had at least a gliding capacity and is itself an excellent example of a transitional fossil. Genus The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including

SECTION 20

#1732852358203

2002-788: Is now a professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton . In the 1980s, he became the director of the Canada-China Dinosaur Project , the first cooperative palaeontological partnering between China and the West since the Central Asiatic Expeditions in the 1920s, and helped describe some of the first feathered dinosaurs . He is one of the primary editors of the influential Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs , and his areas of expertise include theropods (especially Tyrannosauridae ),

2093-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

2184-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

2275-712: The Aptian Gething Formation of British Columbia . He went on to work on dinosaur footprints from the St. Mary River Formation . In 2004, he studied footprint assemblages from the Lance Formation and described the ichnospecies Saurexallopus zerbsti . In 2018, Currie coauthored a study describing dinosaur footprints at the Nemegt locality. Over the course of his career , Currie has described dozens of new species of dinosaurs as well as other animals. In 1980, he named

2366-460: The Cenomanian found in Lebanon. Currie helped rediscover the type localities of the Mongolian sauropods Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis and Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii in 2017; the location of both quarries had become unknown due to them being described several decades before and not having been studied for some time. The next year, he published a paper as the lead author in which he suggested

2457-508: The Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing, although they remain in the possession of the Czerkases. Stephen Czerkas denied Ji's assertion that the fossils were illegal. Sylvia Czerkas told the journal Nature that she had worked out an agreement with officials of Liaoning Province in 2001 to borrow the fossils and that they were to be repatriated in 2007. Through March 2009, however,

2548-523: The Dinosaur Museum Journal . The article does include the caveat that it might be a specimen of Yanornis . Thus, this same fossil specimen has been named "Archaeoraptor", Archeovolans , and Yanornis in different places. Across the monographs in the Dinosaur Museum Journal , Stephen Czerkas built a case for his controversial view that maniraptoran dinosaurs are secondarily flightless birds. In so doing, he criticized prominent paleontologists. In

2639-562: The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, and National Geographic flew the IVPP's Xu Xing to Utah to be part of the "Archaeoraptor" team. During the initial examination of the fossil on March 6, 1999, it had already become clear to Currie that the left and right feet mirrored each other perfectly and that the fossil had been completed by using both slab and counter slab. He also noticed no connection could be seen between

2730-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

2821-799: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

Archaeoraptor - Misplaced Pages Continue

2912-515: The Milk River Formation and Dinosaur Park Formation , respectively, of Alberta . In 2013, he worked with David Christopher Evans and Derek W. Larson to study and name the velociraptorine dromaeosaurid Acheroraptor temertyorum , and with Dong Zhiming and other palaeontologists to describe Nebulasaurus taito . In 2014, he and Victoria Megan Arbour described the ankylosaurid Zaraapelta nomadis . In 2015, Currie, as part of

3003-474: The National Geographic Society . Currie agreed to study the fossil on condition that it was eventually returned to China. The National Geographic Society intended to get the fossil formally published in the peer-reviewed science journal Nature , and then follow up immediately with a press conference and an issue of National Geographic . Editor Bill Allen asked that all members of the project keep

3094-626: The National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Writing in Backbone , the newsletter of his museum, he denounced the publication of a scientific name in a popular journal, without peer review, as a "nightmare". On February 3, 2000, National Geographic issued a press release stating that the fossil could be a composite and that an internal investigation had begun. In that same month Bill Allen, National Geographic editor, told Nature that he

3185-523: The Smithsonian Institution published an open letter on 1 November 1999, pointing out that "the specimen in question is known to have been illegally exported" and protesting the "prevailing dogma that birds evolved from dinosaurs." Olson complained that Sloan, a journalist, had usurped the process of scientific nomenclature by publishing a name first in the popular press: "This is the worst nightmare of many zoologists—that their chance to name

3276-898: The Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology , which was completed in 1985, and Currie was appointed curator of dinosaurs . In 1986, Currie became the co-director of the joint Canada-China Dinosaur Project, with Dale Russell of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa and Dong Zhiming of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing . Over the last 3 decades, Currie has worked on fossil discovery in Mongolia , Argentina , Antarctica , Dinosaur Provincial Park , Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park , and many other locations. His contributions to palaeontology include synonymising

3367-449: The genera Troodon and Stenonychosaurus in 1987 (with the former name taking precedence) and later reversing this in 2017. He has also synonymised the ceratopsian taxon Rubeosaurus with Styracosaurus , the latter being the valid, senior synonym. One of Currie's main interests has been the evolutionary link between modern birds and non-avian dinosaurs. The similarities between troodontids and birds in particular made him

3458-475: The lagerstätten of the Liaoning in China that clearly showed feather impressions: Protarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx . In contrast with the 1996 discovery of Sinosauropteryx , which only showed the impression of downy filaments, these were indisputably feathers . This not only helped cement the theory that birds are descended from dinosaurs, but indicated that many dromaeosaurids were feathered. He

3549-405: The origin of birds , and dinosaurian migration patterns and herding behavior. He was one of the models for palaeontologist Alan Grant in the film Jurassic Park . Currie received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto in 1972, a Master of Science degree from McGill University in 1975, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in biology (with distinction) from

3640-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

3731-691: The tangasaurid species Acerosodontosaurus piveteaui based on a partial skull and partial skeleton found in Madagascar. In 1993, he and Xi-Jin Zhao described Sinraptor dongi from the Shishugou Formation in Xinjiang . He was involved in the China-Canada Dinosaur Project as part of the research which described Protarchaeopteryx robusta and Caudipteryx zoui . In 2000, he was part of

Archaeoraptor - Misplaced Pages Continue

3822-515: The type specimen . To prevent the tainted name "Archaeoraptor" from entering paleornithological literature, this redescription assigned the name to that part of the chimeric specimen least likely to be classified under Aves , rather than to the portion which was later shown to represent a true bird species. Olson presumed that the National Geographic article had already validly named the fossil, and he, therefore, failed to explicitly indicate

3913-600: The Czerkases on August 2 that there was a chance of the whole being a fraud. During a subsequent discussion, Rowe and Currie were pressured by the Czerkases to keep their reservations private. Currie in the first week of September sent his preparator, Kevin Aulenback, to the Dinosaur Museum in Blanding to prepare the fossil for better study. Aulenback concluded that the fossil was "a composite specimen of at least 3 specimens...with

4004-459: The Czerkases published a volume through their Dinosaur Museum titled Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight . In this journal, they described and named several species. Of the six species named in the book, five are disputed. Despite the work of Zhou et al. (2002), Czerkas and co-author Xu Xing described the upper portion of the "Archaeoraptor" fossil as a new bird genus, Archaeovolans , in

4095-469: The French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or the scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of

4186-402: The Origin of Flight . The San Diego Natural History Museum paid a set fee to the Dinosaur Museum to display this show in 2004. When the show opened, Dr. Ji Qiang told reporters from Nature that about a dozen of the fossils had left China illegally. Ji arranged with the Czerkases to assign accession numbers to three of the most valuable specimens, thus formally adding them to the collection of

4277-713: The Pipestone Creek bone bed , one of the world's richest dinosaur-bearing bone beds. Currie is a lifelong fan of science fiction and the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs . He is married to the Danish palaeobotanist and palynologist Eva Koppelhus, and has three sons from a previous marriage. Dinosaur species named in honour of Currie include Quilmesaurus curriei (Coria, 2001), Epichirostenotes curriei (Sullivan et al., 2011), Teratophoneus curriei (Carr et al., 2011), Philovenator curriei (Xu et al., 2012), and Albertavenator curriei (Evans et al., 2017). As one of

4368-766: The United States. According to authorities in Beijing, no fossils may leave China legally. By the fall 1998 annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology , held in Utah , United States, rumors were circulating about a striking fossil of a primitive bird that was in private hands. This fossil was presented by an anonymous dealer at a gem show in Tucson, Arizona . The Dinosaur Museum in Blanding, Utah , purchased it in February 1999. The museum

4459-404: The actual fossils. Bennett found the specimen to be an indeterminate diapsid and criticized the previous authors for publishing a species name when no diagnostic characters below the class level could be verified. He made Utahdactylus a nomen dubium . In 2001 Stephen and Sylvia Czerkas compiled a traveling exhibit containing 34 other Chinese fossils. The show is titled Feathered Dinosaurs and

4550-454: The affair as evidence that his scans were correct. Rowe published a Brief Communication in Nature in 2001 describing his findings. He concluded that, apart from the top part, several specimens had been used to complete the fossil: a first for the left femur, a second for the tibiae, a third for both feet, and at least one more for the tail, which alone consisted of five separate parts. In June 2000

4641-535: The article Sloan used the name " Archaeoraptor liaoningensis " but with a disclaimer (so that it would not count as a nomenclatural act for scientific classification) in anticipation of Czerkas being able to publish a peer-reviewed description at some point in the future. After the November National Geographic came out, Storrs L. Olson, curator of birds in the National Museum of Natural History of

SECTION 50

#1732852358203

4732-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

4823-597: The dromaeosaurid Saurornitholestes langstoni and found the poorly known tooth taxon Zapsalis likely to represent the same taxon as Saurornitholestes . Currie's contributions to the study of dinosaur dentition include helping discover the first known instance of alveolar remodelling in dinosaurs and revealing in a 2020 study that the dentition of Sinraptor bore extreme similarities to that of Allosaurus , further concluding that Sinraptor would likely have actively hunted medium-sized dinosaurs such as Jiangjunosaurus junggarensis . Currie has extensively studied

4914-595: The evolutionary theory. They see "Archaeoraptor" as a "Piltdown Bird". However, contrary to the Piltdown Man , "Archaeoraptor" was not deliberately fabricated to support some evolutionary claim. Furthermore, the authenticity of "Archaeoraptor" would not have been essential proof for the hypothesis that birds are theropods, as this is sufficiently corroborated by other data; paleontologist Christopher Brochu concluded in November 2001: "That birds are derived from theropod dinosaurs

5005-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

5096-480: The fossil in an article written by art editor Christopher Sloan. The article in general discussed feathered dinosaurs and the origin of birds. It claimed the fossil was "a missing link between terrestrial dinosaurs and birds that could fly" and informally referred to it as "Archaeoraptor liaoningensis", announcing it would later be formally named as such. This name means "ancient raptor of Liaoning ". This drew immediate criticism from Storrs L. Olson , Curator of Birds at

5187-496: The fossil secret so that the magazine would have a scoop on the story. Slade and the Czerkases intended the fossil to be the "crown jewel" of the Dinosaur Museum and planned to keep it on display there for five years. Sloan says that he flew to Utah in the spring of 1999 to convince Stephen Czerkas to return the fossil to China immediately after publication, or he would not write about it for National Geographic and Currie would not work on it. Czerkas then agreed. Currie then contacted

5278-405: The fossil site and contacted several fossil dealers . He eventually found a fairly complete fossil of a tiny dromaeosaur, and the tail of this new fossil corresponded so exactly to the tail on the "Archaeoraptor" fossil that it had to be the counter slab— it even had two matching yellow oxide stains. On December 20, 1999, Xu Xing sent e-mails to the authors and Sloan, announcing that the fossil

5369-498: The fossil was returned to China. In the October 2000 issue, National Geographic published the results of their investigation. The fossils involved in the "Archaeoraptor" scandal have led to ongoing confusion over taxon names. In December 2000, Microraptor was described in Nature . Zhou et al. (2002) examined the upper body of the "Archaeoraptor" fossil and reported that it belonged to the previously-named genus Yanornis . In 2002

5460-727: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

5551-432: The idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of the same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but

SECTION 60

#1732852358203

5642-628: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

5733-517: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Phil Currie Philip John Currie AOE FRSC (born March 13, 1949) is a Canadian palaeontologist and museum curator who helped found the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller , Alberta and

5824-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

5915-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

6006-596: The name was new, as demanded by article 16 of the ICZN as a condition for a name to be valid. Several months afterward Xu, Zhou, and Wang published their description of Microraptor zhaoianus in Nature . The scandal is sometimes used by creationists like Kent Hovind , Kirk Cameron, and Ray Comfort to cast doubt on the hypothesis that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Many creationists insist that no missing links between birds and dinosaurs have been found, and commonly point to "Archaeoraptor" as evidence of misconduct performed to support

6097-526: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

6188-529: The same institution in 1981. His master's and PhD theses were on synapsids and early aquatic diapsids respectively. Currie became curator of earth science at the Provincial Museum of Alberta in Edmonton in 1976 just as he began the PhD program. Within three seasons he had so much success at fieldwork that the province began planning a larger museum to hold the collection. The collection became part of

6279-1274: The show was scheduled for the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science in California. According to Nature , the Czerkases refused requests to make the officials from Liaoning available for an interview. Many scientists consider it unethical to work on fossils if there is any chance that they have been smuggled, and many disregard privately owned fossils altogether. Some professionals feel that private collectors put fossils in private hands where science may not be able to access or study them. Some believe that private collectors may damage important fossils, subject them to forgery, and obscure their origins or evidence about their ages. Illegal dealers have also participated in and may encourage, governmental corruption. Another philosophy argues that if scientists could bend their ethics and agree to publish on important private fossils, this would encourage private holders to make them available for study. The fossil most recently appeared in an exhibition in Wollaton Hall, near Nottingham, titled Dinosaurs of China: Ground Shakers to Feathered Flyers , where it

6370-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

6461-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

6552-469: The study of phylogenetics . He contributed to a comprehensive revision of the phylogenetic relationships of ankylosaurid species in 2015. He also reassessed the phylogenetic status of Nipponosaurus sachalinensis , discovering that it was much more basal among the Lambeosaurinae than palaeontologists had previously thought. In 2022, he participated in a study that found Dineobellator to represent

6643-588: The subject of juvenile dinosaurs and dinosaur ontogeny . His publications on the subject have included studies on juveniles of Chasmosaurus , Pinacosaurus , Gorgosaurus , Daspletosaurus , and Saurornithoides . In 1997, Currie teamed up with Microsoft's Chief Technical Officer Nathan Myhrvold to create a computer model demonstrating that diplodocids could snap their tails like whips , and create small sonic booms . In addition to his work on dinosaurs , Currie has been involved in numerous research projects on pterosaurs . In 2011 and 2016, he

6734-530: The tail and the body. In July 1999, Currie and the Czerkases brought the fossil to the High-Resolution X-ray CT Facility of the University of Texas (Austin) founded and operated by Dr. Timothy Rowe to make CT scans . Rowe, having made the scans on July 29, determined that they indicated that the bottom fragments, showing the tail and the lower legs, were not part of the larger fossil. He informed

6825-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

6916-477: The text on Cryptovolans , Czerkas accused Dr. Mark Norell of misinterpreting the fossil BPM 1 3-13 as having long leg feathers due to the "blinding influences of preconceived ideas." Though Norell's interpretation was correct, Czerkas added leg feathers to his reconstruction of the fossil in the art that promotes the traveling exhibit. Two other taxa that Czerkas and his co-authors named were later treated as junior synonyms by other authors. Czerkas' Cryptovolans

7007-515: The two taxa may represent the same species. Currie's research interests have included ichnofossils as well as body fossils. In 1979, at the beginning of his career , he and William A. S. Sarjeant described Amblydactylus kortmeyeri from the Peace River Valley. In 1981, Currie authored in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology a description of the ichnospecies Aquatilavipes swiboldae from

7098-566: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

7189-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

7280-457: Was "furious" to learn that the fossil might have been faked. In the March issue, in the forum section, a letter from Dr. Xu Xing pointed out that the tail section probably did not match the upper body. In October 2000 National Geographic published the results of their investigation, in an article written by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Lewis M. Simons. Simons concluded that the fossil

7371-500: Was a composite and that virtually everyone involved in the project had made some mistakes. According to National Geographic' s report, the story of "Archaeoraptor" begins in July 1997 in Xiasanjiazi, China, where farmers routinely dug in the shale pits with picks and sold fossils to dealers for a few dollars. This was an illegal practice, but it was common then. In this case, one farmer found

7462-623: Was a fake. On February 3, 2000, The National Geographic News issued a press release stating that the "Archaeoraptor" fossil might be a composite and that an internal investigation had begun. In the March issue of National Geographic Xu's letter ran in the Forum section of the magazine, and Bill Allen had Xu change the word "fake" to "composite". On April 4, 2000, Stephen Czerkas told a group of paleontologists in Washington that he and Sylvia had made "an idiot, bone-stupid mistake". Currie, Allen, and Sloan all expressed regret. Rowe felt vindicated, claiming

7553-437: Was a forgery, many true examples of feathered dinosaurs have been found and demonstrate the evolutionary connection between birds and other theropods. "Archaeoraptor" was unveiled at a press conference held by National Geographic magazine in October 1999. At the same press conference, plans were announced to return the fossil to Chinese authorities, as it was illegally exported. In November 1999 National Geographic featured

7644-411: Was exhibited along with fossils of Yanoris and Microraptor , its main components. In April 2000 Olson published an article in Backbone , the newsletter of the National Museum of Natural History. In this article, he justified his views on the evolution of birds, but also revised and redescribed the species "Archaeoraptor liaoningensis" by designating just the tail of the original fraudulent specimen as

7735-709: Was involved in the description of the first pterosaur fossils from the Northumberland Formation , a part of the Nanaimo Group , of Hornby Island in British Columbia , finding that they probably represented indeterminate members of Istiodactylidae and Azhdarchidae , respectively. In 2017, he assisted in the description of the first known pterosaur pelvic material from the Dinosaur Park Formation ; he has also helped study pterosaur material from

7826-481: Was later featured in numerous popular articles and documentaries . Currie was involved in exposing a composite specimen that had been the subject of the 1999 National Geographic " Archeoraptor " scandal. Currie became increasingly sceptical of the orthodox belief that large carnivorous dinosaurs were solitary animals , but there was no evidence for his hypothesis that they may have hunted in packs . However, circumstantial evidence came when he tracked down

7917-616: Was part of a team of researchers that published a description of Lajasvenator ascheriae , the oldest known carcharodontosaurid from the Cretaceous period. In 2015, the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum was opened in Wembley, Alberta . It is located about a 15-minute drive west of Grande Prairie , and about 500 kilometres (310 mi) northwest of Edmonton . The museum was designed by Teeple Architects , and has won several awards. It celebrates

8008-460: Was run by the late Stephen A. Czerkas (d. 2015) and his wife, Sylvia Czerkas. Mr. Czerkas did not hold a university degree, but he was a dinosaur enthusiast and artist. He arranged for patrons of his museum, including trustee Dale Slade, to provide $ 80,000 for the purchase of the fossil, to study it scientifically, and prevent it from disappearing into an anonymous private collection. The Czerkases contacted paleontologist Phil Currie , who contacted

8099-530: Was smuggled out of China and illegally purchased" and that the fossil had been "doctored" in China "to enhance its value." Science then rejected the paper. According to Sloan, the Czerkases did not inform National Geographic about the details of the two rejections. By that time the November issue of National Geographic was already in preparation for printing, but "Archaeoraptor" was never formally published in any peer-reviewed journal. National Geographic went ahead and published without peer review. The fossil

8190-546: Was treated as Microraptor , and his Scansoriopteryx was treated as Epidendrosaurus . Czerkas described Omnivoropteryx , noting that it was similar to Sapeornis . Later specimens of Sapeornis with skulls demonstrated that the two were probably synonymous. Another taxon that Czerkas assigned to the Pterosauria and named Utahdactylus was reviewed by Dr. Chris Bennett. Bennett found multiple misidentifications of bones and inconsistencies between Czerkas' diagrams and

8281-535: Was unveiled in a press conference on October 15, 1999, and in November 1999 National Geographic contained an article by Christopher P. Sloan—a National Geographic art editor. Sloan described it as a missing link that helped elucidate the connection between dinosaurs and birds. The original fossil was put on display at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. , pending return to China. In

#202797