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goshawk [didimus] (2 Viewers)

J

john trevor

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Accipiter fasciatus is found here in the Otway Ranges in Southern Australia.Accipiter fasciatus didimus is found in Northern Australia. Can anyone tell me why Gregory Mathews chose the word "Didimus" when he first described it. Thanks, John Trevor
 
In a Novitates Zoologicae journal (v. XXII, 1915) Hartert & Rothschild guessed didimus was "Probably misspelt for didymus" And didymus is Greek for twin. Thomas the Apostle is called Didymus by the Greeks.
 
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John - you may already know all this, but Mathews described didimus in the Austral Avian Record, a self published journal that is in relatively few libraries. While I have never looked at it, I know that one of the early issues contained over 200 new bird names. I saw a recent publication which speculated that one of the new genera he named at some point was actually an anagram of his name, which suggests he didn't always give the etymology of the new names he was coming up with.

I note there is also a didimus subspecies of Musk Lorikeet, also named by Mathews.
 
mb1848 said:
In a Novitates Zoologicae journal (v. XXII, 1915) Hartert & Rothschild guessed didimus was "Probably misspelt for didymus"
Click to expand...
Well, in England, 'diddy' is an informal word for small, and didimus is a small race.

But I hear that in Australia, 'diddy' means the same as 'dunny'...

Richard ;)
 
"diddy" an informal word for small.

Richard Klim said:
Well, in England, 'diddy' is an informal word for small, and didimus is a small race.

But I hear that in Australia, 'diddy' means the same as 'dunny'...

Richard ;)
Click to expand...
Thank you ,Richard. I've never heard that word.Seem logical. Thnks John Trevor.
 
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