The Key to Scientific Names
- ELEOTHREPTUS
(Caprimulgidae; Ϯ Sickle-winged Nightjar E. anomalus) Gr. ἑλεοθρεπτος heleothreptos marsh-bred < ἑλος helos, ἑλεος heleos marsh; τρεφω trephō to nourish; "Eleothreptus ... Obs. Nomen: ελεον, misere, vel mensa culinari, et θρεπτος, nutritus. Si a vocab. ἑλος (palus) derivaretur, ἑλειοθρ . . v. ἑλωθρ . . et latine Heleiothr. vel Helothr. scriberetur" (Sundevall 1872); "ELEOTHREPTUS, n. Amblypterusa, Gould. E. anomalus, (Gould,) n. Gould, Icon. Av. II. pl. aSimilar to a word used in Entomology." (G. Gray 1840); "Eleothreptus G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 7. New name for Amblypterus Gould, 1838. Type, by original designation and monotypy, E. anomalus (Gould) = Amblypterus anomalus Gould.1 ... 1 Gray believed Gould's generic name to be "similar to a word used in entomology" referring no doubt to Amblyptera Solier, 1836. There is however a genus of fossil fishes, Amblypterus Agassiz, 1833 of which Gould's name is a homonym." (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 220).
Var. Eleothreptes, Heleothreptus.
Synon. Amblypterus.
