The Key to Scientific Names

Edited by James A. Jobling
1 to 33 of 33 results

alba

L. albus  white, dead white (cf. candidus  glittering white) (see also albus).
● "76. ARDEA.  ...  alba.  17. A. capite lævi, corpore albo, rostro rubro.  Ardea tota alba, capite lævi. Fn. svec. 132.  Ardea alba major. Will. orn. 205. t. 43. Raj. av. 99. n. 4.  Habitat in Europa." (Linnaeus 1758) (Ardea).
● ex “Cacatua” of Brisson 1760, and “Kakatoës des Moluques” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 263 (Cacatua).
● ex “White Sheathbill” of Latham 1785, and “Vaginalis” or “Chionis” of Forster 1788 (Chionis).
● ex “Fedoa canadensis, rostro recurvo” of Edwards 1750, and “Limosa candida” of Brisson 1760 (?syn Limosa haemastica).
● "99. MOTACILLA.  ...  alba.  12. M. pectore nigro, rectricibus duabus lateralibus dimidiato oblique albis.  Motacilla pectore nigro. Fn. svec. 214.  Motacilla. Gesn. av. 618. Aldr. orn. l. 17. c. 23. Bell. av. 88. 6. Will. orn. 171. t. 42. Raj. av. 75. n. 1. Alb. av. 1. p. 49. t. 49. Frisch. av. . t. 23. f. 4. Olin. av. 43.  Habitat in Europa." (Linnaeus 1758) (Motacilla).
● ex “Spatule blanche de L’Île de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776. “Mr Ogilvie Grant argues for the adoption of Scopoli’s name of P. alba, founded on Sonnerat’s plate. Although the bird is said to have come from Luzon, it is well-known that many of Sonnerat’s species were obtained in Africa, and set down in error as being from the Philippines. That this has been the case with the present species hardly admits of a doubt” (Sharpe 1898) (Platalea).
● ex “Guira Panga” or “Cotinga Blanc” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Procnias).
● ex “White-breasted Petrel” of Latham 1785 (Pterodroma).
● ex “Mouette cendrée tachetée” (= ☼) of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 387 (syn. Rissa tridactyla).
● ex “Gobe-mouche blanc huppé du Cap de Bonne Espérance” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 234, fig. 2 (syn. Terpsiphone paradisi).
● ex “Curiçaca” of Marcgrave 1648, and “Courlis à col blanc de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 976 (syn. Theristicus caudatus).
● ex “Aluco minor” of Aldrovandus 1603, “Common Barn-Owl”, “White-Owl” or “Church-Owl” of Ray 1676, and “Common Barn-Owl” or “White Owl” of Albin 1731 (Tyto).


Albagum

(hybrid x) L. albus  white; apparently based on an albino of some unknown species; "2. Sous-famille. BUCERONIA.  Les Bucériens. Bec cornu et dentelé.  G. 4. Buceros L.  5. Diramphus R. sp. do.  6. Pogophthalmus R. sp. do.  9. Ramphalax R. sp. do.  8. Dactalum? R. sp. do.  7. Albagum R. sp. do." (Rafinesque, 1815, Analyse de la Nature, p. 66).


albani
Albany, southern Western Australia.

Albanora

(Trochilidaesyn. Amazilia Ϯ Snowy-bellied Hummingbird A. edward) Either a misspelling for Albadora (L. albus  white; Gr. δορα dora  skin (cf. Late L. orum  gold; Med. L. ora  silver)), or an early lapsus for the subsequent Leucodora; "A  Rectrices de longueur peu inégale, chez les ♂.   ...   CC  Ventre non roux.  Rémiges non rousses.   D  Ventre en majeure partie blanc. . . . . Albanora." (Mulsant & E. Verreaux 1874) (Laurent Raty in litt.).


albapiculus

L. albus  white; Mod. L. apiculus  small sharp point  < dim. L. apex, apicis  point, end (cf. apiculum thread).


albaria

L. albarius  pertaining to whitening or plastering  < albare  to make white  < albus  white.


albascens (See: albescens)
albescens

L. albescens, albescentis  whitish  < albescere  to become white  < albere  to be white  < albus  white.
● ex “Busard” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 423 (= ?♀) (?syn. Accipiter gentilis).
● ex “Blanchard” of Levaillant 1796, pl. 3 (= ☼) (syn. Stephanoaetus coronatus).


albata

L. albatus  clothed in white  < albus  white.


Albatros

(Diomedeidae; syn. Diomedea Wandering Albatross D. exulans) French Albatros  albatross; "CCCXXXIIe Genre.  ALBATROS, diomedea, L.;  albatros, Briss.  ...  Les albatros sont les oiseaux maritimes qui ont le vol le plus puissant.   ...   La plus anciennement connue est:  L'ALBATROS DU CAP, diomedea exulans, Linn., enl. 237.   Les autres espèces sont:  L'ALBATROS A BEC JAUNE, diomedea chlororhynchos, Lath.  ...  L'ALBATROS FULIGINEUX, diomedea fuliginosa, Lath.  ...  L'ALBATROS SPADICÉ, diomedea spadicea, Lath." (Lesson 1828); "Albatros "Brisson" Lesson, 1828,  Manuel d'Ornithologie, II, p. 389.  Substitute name for Diomedea Linnaeus, 1758." (JAJ 2020).


Albatros (See: Albatrus)
Albatrus

(Diomedeidae; syn. Diomedea Wandering Albatross D. exulans) French Albatros  albatross; Albatross and its European equivalents are the definitive spellings of a word that has undergone dramatic corruption since its birth in the Arabic name al qadus for the leathern bucket used in irrigation.  This name early Spanish and Portuguese explorers adopted as “Alcatras” or “Alcaduz” and gave to the pelican Pelecanus, with reference to its capacious bill.  The name was mistakenly identified and applied vaguely to other large water-birds, firstly by English navigators to the frigatebirds Fregata and finally, via Alcatraza, Alcatraze, Algatross, and Albitross, to the present species of this family (cf. “The name is thought to derive from the Portuguese word alcatraz, meaning pelican (itself a corruption of the Arabic al-gattas, meaning diver or plunger)” (Moore 2006)); "Cruribus circa corpus medium & extra abdomen positis,  Corpore brevioribus:  Digitis tribus anticis, membranis inter se connexis, digito postico nullo: rostro lateraliter compresso; apice mandibulæ superioris adunco, inferioris quasi truncato. . . .Albatrus. Genus 98.   ...   Genus Albatri.  Genre de l'Albatros" (Brisson 1760): based on "Vaisseau de Guerre" of Albin 1731-1738 (?= Fregata), "Plautus Albatrus" of Klein 1750, "Albatross" of Edwards 1751, and Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758; "Albatrus Brisson, Orn., 1, p. 54; 6, p. 126, 1760—type, by monotypy, "Albatrus" Brisson = Diomedea exulans Linnaeus." (Hellmayr and Conover, 1948, Cat. Birds Americas, Pt. I (2), p. 41).


Albatrossa

(Diomedeidae; syn. Diomedea Wandering Albatross D. exulans) Danish Albatros  albatross; "[Key] Posticus nullus,  Rostrum lateraliter compressum,  Mandibula superior apice adunca,  Inferior truncata  -  -  ALBATROSSA.   ...   Albatrossen." (Brünnich 1772); "Albatrossa Brünnich, 1772, Zoologiae Fundamenta, p. 80.  No species mentioned.  Type, by monotypy,  Diomedea  exulans Linnaeus, 1758." (JAJ 2022).


albatrus

German Albatros  albatross (Phoebastria).


albatus

L. albatus  clothed in white  < albus  white.


ateralba / ateralbus
L. ater black; albus white.

BRACHYGALBA

(Galbulidae; Ϯ White-throated Jacamar B. albogularis) Gr. βραχυς brakhus  short; Mod. L. galba  contraction of genus Galbula Brisson, 1760, jacamar; "This little group has the general form of Galbula, but the birds are of smaller size, the tail is shorter and square, and the outer pair of rectrices (abnormally short in Galbula) is altogether absent" (P. Sclater 1891); "27. BRACHYGALBA, Bp.  —   108. albigularis, Spix.  —  109. albiventer, Cuv. (lugubris, Caban. nec Sw. - inornata, Sclater. - chalcoptera, Reich.)" (Bonaparte 1854); "Brachygalba Bonaparte, Ateneo Italiano, 2, 1854, p. 129. (Separately paged reprint, Consp. Vol. Zygod., p. 13.) Type, by subsequent designation, Galbula albigularis Spix. (G. R. Gray, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Bds., 1855, p. 137.)" (Peters, 1948, VI, p. 3).
Var. Brachygalbula.
Synon. Brachyceyx.


capitalba / capitalbus

L. capitalis  relating to the head  < caput, capitis  head; albus  white.


cinereoalba

L. cinereus  ash-coloured  < cinis, cineris  ashes; albus  white (cf. Mod. L. cinereoalbus  pale-grey).


dealbata / dealbatus

L. dealbatus whitewashed, plastered < dealbare to whitewash.


GALBALCYRHYNCHUS

(Galbulidae; Ϯ White-eared Jacamar G. leucotis) Portmanteau of genera Galbula Brisson 1760, jacamar, and Alcyone Swainson, 1837, kingfisher, and Gr. ῥυγχος rhunkhos  bill; "Jacamaralcyonide à oreillons blancs. — Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis  ...   Cette espèce de Jacamar, curieuse par le développement presque monstrueux de son bec, nous a paru devoir former dans cette famille un nouveau genre auquel nous donnons le nom qui précède   ...   Car par son bec et par sa forme trapue et si exceptionnellement ramassée, il indique bien mieux que le G. tridactyla par ses pattes, le passage et la transition des vrais Jacamars (Galbula) aux Martins-Pêcheurs (Alcyon et Alcedo). C'est ce rapport de similitude qui nous l'a fait nommer Galbalcyrhynchus, pour le différencier, tout en exprimant la même idée, du nom Jacamaralcyon, de Levaillant." (des Murs 1845); "Galbalcyrhynchus Des Murs, Rev. Zool., 1845, p. 207. Type, by monotypy, Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis Des Murs." (Peters, 1948, VI, p. 3).   
Var. Gabalcyorynchus, GalbalcyorhynchusGalbacyrhynchus, Galbalcyrynchus.   
Synon. Alcyonides, Cauecias, Jacamaralcyonides.


galbana

L. galbanus  greenish-yellow  < galbanum  gum resin, galbanum  < Gr. χαλβανη khalbanē  gum resin.


galbanatus
Specific name Garrulax galbanus Godwin-Austen, 1874; L. -atus pertaining to (cf. L. galbanatus delicately clothed, effeminate) (syn. Dryonastes galbanus).

galbanus

L. galbanus  greenish-yellow  < galbanum  gum resin, galbanum  < Gr. χαλβανη  khalbanē  gum resin.


griseoalba

Med. L. griseum  grey; L. albus  white.


kalbaensis

Khawr Kalba / Khor Kelba, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.


Monarchalba

(Monarchidae; syn. Symposiachrus White-breasted Monarch S. menckei) Genus Monarcha Vigors & Horsfield, 1827, monarch; L. albus  white; "Monarchalba, gen. nov., differs from Monarcha V. & H. in having a different colour-pattern, a wedge-shaped tail, and strong rictal bristles.  Type, Monarcha menckei Heinroth, 1902." (Mathews 1925); "Monarchalba Mathews, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. xlv. p. 94, 1925.  Type (by original designation): Monarcha menckei Heinr." (Mathews, 1930, Syst. Av. Austral., II, p. 514).


Nealbatrus

(Diomedeidae; syn. Thalassarche  Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. chlororhynchos) Gr. νεος neos  new; genus Albatrus Brisson 1760, albatross; "The bill of the first-named [T. chlororhynchos] is longer and narrower than that of the second [T. chrysostoma], but the peculiar reduction of the culminicorn at its posterior end to a sharp point, distinctly and widely separated from the frontal feathering by the fleshy membrane extending upon it, renders its identification easy.  In addition, the base of the lower mandible approaches a more perfect line than the other members, and in this resembles Phœbastria.  I would consider it subgenerically separable from Thalassogeron (s. str.), and propose for this form the subgeneric name NEALBATRUS, with type the only species Th. chlororhynchos (Gm.)" (Mathews 1912); "Nealbatrus Mathews, Birds Austr. vol. ii. pt. 3, p. 274, Sept. 20th, 1912.  Type (by original designation): Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin." (Mathews, 1927, Syst. Av. Austral., I, p. 130).


nigralba / nigralbus
L. niger black; albus white.
● ex “Soui-manga brun et blanc” of Audebert & Vieillot 1802 (syn. Leptocoma zeylonica).

nigroalba / nigroalbus
L. niger black; albus white.

rosaalba
L. rosa rose; albus white.

rosalba

L. rosa  rose; albus  white.


rufoalba
L. rufus rufous; albus white.

semialba

L. semi-  half-, semi-  < semis, semissis  half  < as, assis  whole; albus  white.
● ex “White Tern” of Latham 1785 (syn. Gygis candida).


Urogalba

(Galbulidae; syn. Galbula Paradise Jacamar G. dea) Gr. ουρα oura tail; Mod. L. galba contraction from genus Galbula Brisson, 1760, jacamar; "Galbulinæ.  ...  26. UROGALBA, Bp.  -  107. paradisea, L. (longicauda, Br.)" (Bonaparte 1854); "Urogalba Bonaparte, 1854, Conspectus Volucrum Zygodactylorum, p. 13.  Type, by monotypy,  Alcedo paradisea Linnaeus, 1766 = Alcedo dea Linnaeus, 1758." (JAJ 2020).


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