Aix Sponsa Bird
Aix Sponsa Bird
English Name:
Latin Name:
Protonym: Anas Sponsa Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.128
Taxonomy: Anseriformes / Anatidae / Aix
Taxonomy Code: wooduc
Type Locality: North America = Carolina ex Catesby.
Author: Linnaeus
Publish Year: 1758
IUCN Status: Least Concern
DEFINITIONS
AIX
(Anatidae; Ϯ Wood Duck A. sponsa) Gr. αιξ aix, αιγος aigos large web-footed bird mentioned by Aristotle, not further identified, but since conjectured to be a small goose or a large duck. According to Gessner 1555, Aldrovandus 1599-1603, and other authors this was also a name for the Lapwing Vanellus (cf. αιξ aix, αιγος aigos goat); "Fam. Anatidae Leach. ... Gattung Aix. 3 Hierher aus Asien: 1. Anas galericulata Lin. 2. — falcaria Pall. America: 3. Anas sponsa Lin. Wils. pl. 70. fig. 3. ... 3 Name eines Wasservogels bey Aristot." (Boie 1828); "Aix Boie, Isis, 21, 1828, p. 329. Type, by subsequent designation, Anas sponsa Linné. (Eyton, Monogr. Anat., 1838, p. 35.)" (Peters 1931, I, p. 170).
Var. Aex, Aia.
Synon. Dendronessa, Lampronessa.
sponsa
L. sponsa bride < spondere to pledge.
● “Prettily applied to this lovely duck, as if the bird were arrayed for bridal” (Coues 1882); "61. ANAS. ... Sponsa. 37. A. crista dependente duplici viridi cæruleo alboque varia. Anas cristatus elegans. Catesb. car. 1. p. 97. t. 97. Edw. av. 101. f. 101. Anas fusca cristata, ad gulam alba, iride flammea. Brown. jam. 481. Habitat in America septentrionali. Crista dependens viridi alboque cærulea, uti & dorsum. Pectus griseum, albo maculatum. Gula alba." (Linnaeus 1758) (Aix).
● “This form is named in honor of my late wife, Gladys C. Banks, who assisted me throughout most of the long years of my study of variation in wintering white-fronted geese, and in other work. The name sponsa is a noun in apposition” (Banks 2011) (subsp. Anser albifrons).
UPPERCASE: current genus
Uppercase first letter: generic synonym
● and ● See: generic homonyms
lowercase: species and subspecies
●: early names, variants, mispellings
‡: extinct
†: type species
Gr.: ancient Greek
L.: Latin
<: derived from
syn: synonym of
/: separates historical and modern geographic names
ex: based on
TL: type locality
OD: original diagnosis (genus) or original description (species)