Is it benedeni or benedenii?

[Miocene_Mason]

Yes, I am talking about the large otodontid also known as the false Mako, Parotodus benedeni, or is it benedenii? I’ve seen it both ways and I’m confused. I’ve always used single “I” but I don’t have any reason for this.

[Troodon]

Well the bible calls it P. benedeni

 

Handbook of Paleoichthyology. Chondrichthyes II: 
Mesozoic and Cenozoic Elasmobranchii
Cappetta, H. - 1987

 

 

[Miocene_Mason]

5 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Well the bible calls it P. benedeni

 

Handbook of Paleoichthyology. Chondrichthyes II: 
Mesozoic and Cenozoic Elasmobranchii
Cappetta, H. - 1987

Cappetta is your bible? I preach to Kent, I haven’t checked what it said though...

Thanks for that! I gotta get that book.

[Troodon]

9 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

Cappetta is your bible? I preach to Kent, I haven’t checked what it said though...

Thanks for that! I gotta get that book.

Well Cappetta described Parotodus.  Kents book is great for the east coast

[Miocene_Mason]

19 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Well Cappetta described Parotodus.  Kents book is great for the east coast

So it should 100% be benedeni? I wonder why it is wrong in so many places.

[Troodon]

23 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

So it should 100% be benedeni? I wonder why it is wrong in so many places.

Not sure its wrong maybe just another acceptable spelling.  Possible that the species was described in 1871 by Le Hon with ii, genus named by Cappetta and then changed what you see used today.  Dont know.

Here is the Smithsonian 

[Miocene_Mason]

Did some research and it’s in a paper entitled “Préliminaires d'un mémoire sur les poissons tertiaires de Belgique” which may or may not exist anymore. I’m looking around for it. 

[Miocene_Mason]

Unfortunately, the only copy I could find reference to still existing is somewhere in the British Isles: LINK

And, it’s in French.

Edit: I spoke too soon! There’s a copy at the library of Congress. Maybe I’ll plan a session over there to look at it. Still in French though.

[Miocene_Mason]

Okay everyone, if anyone is still listening I’ve figured it out (I think). I don’t have access to that paper, but Elasmo did, so I have a brief summary of what happened here:

Agassiz erects Oxyrhina quadrans, but le hon basically usurped this species and called it Oxyrhina benedenii, notice two “I”s! All this one “I” nonsense came in with Leriche, who basically just described a set of teeth with it. From here on out, everyone used one “I” save a few papers published in the 2000s. After leriche, benedeni goes on a trip through a few genera before Cappetta erects Parotodus. There it has stayed. 

So, that’s what made the mess, but how do we fix it? I don’t know. We should call it Parotodus quadrans but like manospondylus gigas (T. rex), the name is gone. Assuming we throw out quadrans, we might think benedenii is right. But, in my opinion the one “I” is now valid. From the ICZN, as used in the T. rex case:

“...the junior synonym or homonym has been used for a particular taxon, as its presumed valid name, in at least 25 works, published by at least 10 authors in the immediately preceding 50 years” [then it is considered valid]

 

I don’t know if 25 have been done, but it seems in the same spirit.

 

Therefore, it is probably the right thing to do to call it Parotodus benedeni, the one “I” spelling. If any of you see errors here, feel free to point them out.