Erithacus rubecula marionae (1 Viewer)

[Taphrospilus]

Just as I stumbled yesterday over Erithacus rubecula marionae Dietzen, Michels & Wink, 2015 and could not find the eponym in The Eponym Dictionary of Birds .We can find OD here.

Etymology.–The subspecific epithet is coined in honour of Mrs. Marion Steinbüchel (born 12-11-1976, in Mannheim, Germany), and is a noun of the first declension in the genitive case, formed from the latinized version of the given name Marion.

Not sure about the claim in the key. Why honered I have no clue, but she seems to be a Diplombiologin (Master of Science in Biology).

 

[Gonçalo Elias]

The reason for honouring her is probably related with her participation in the studies on the Tenerife Robin:
https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2003/3.2003.pdf
(see acknowledgements at the end)

On a side note: it's intriguing why they decided to use the first name instead of the last one.
Would it be ok to use the last name to honour a woman? In that case, would the declination be with ii?

 

[Taphrospilus]

On a side note: it's intriguing why they decided to use the first name instead of the last one.
Would it be ok to use the last name to honour a woman? In that case, would the declination be with ii?

Nope, just think e.g. on Phaethornis koepckeae or Pyrrhura snethlageae.

 

[Gonçalo Elias]

makes sense, now I also remember Chrysolophus amherstiae.

 

[l_raty]

On a side note: it's intriguing why they decided to use the first name instead of the last one.
Would it be ok to use the last name to honour a woman? In that case, would the declination be with ii?

So far as the Code is concerned, you are free to use what you want.

-i is the genitive of -us (which gave -o in Italian/Spanish/Portuguese) and is "by default" masculine, -ae is the genitive of -a (which remained -a in the same languages) and is "by default" feminine. But the rule has exceptions. (Just like there are exceptions in the modern languages -- see the given names Amparo (female), Consuelo (female), Battista (male), Luca (male), etc.)
If a name ends in -a (or -us), it should in principle always be OK to use a genitive in -ae (or -i), irrespective of the gender of the person, because this is a straight application of Latin grammar. But if you add an -ae (or -i) "out of the blue" to a name, this will convey a quite strong idea of gender... which, ideally, should not be "the wrong one". I don't know if this makes sense ?

As an aside, "Marion" is a name which might also quite easily accommodate a third declension (genitive in -onis; not indicative of a particular gender).

 

[Gonçalo Elias]

If a name ends in -a (or -us), it should in principle always be OK to use a genitive in -ae (or -i), irrespective of the gender of the person, because this is a straight application of Latin grammar. But if you add an -ae (or -i) "out of the blue" to a name, this will convey a quite strong idea of gender... which, ideally, should not be "the wrong one". I don't know if this makes sense ?

Yes it does.

There is the case of Galerida cristata festae, which is named after a man, Enrico Luigi Festa (application of the rule you mention).

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Just as I stumbled yesterday over Erithacus rubecula marionae Dietzen, Michels & Wink, 2015 and could not find the eponym in The Eponym Dictionary of Birds ....

It would have been very strange if you had found it in the Eponym Dictionary of Birds (2014), wouldn't it?

Keep up the good work!

Björn

PS. And (again); thanks for Naumann 1811.