Mutevodia Iredale, 1956 (1 Viewer)

[James Jobling]

Mutevodia Iredale, 1956, Bds. New Guinea, II, p. 103 (type-Pachycephala dorsalis Ogilvie-Grant, 1911 (= Pachycephala monacha dorsalis)), was introduced as a subgenus of Pachycephala Vigors, 1825. The etymology of this name still alludes me. No anagram or obvious classical basis springs to mind, and I have always assumed it to be a nonsense-name, of the sort so beloved by Iredale's mentor Gregory Mathews.
Does anyone out there have any bright ideas or inspiration as to Iredale's intention?

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Since nobody seems to respond on this thread I thought I´d have a go at this one as well ... even if I dont know much Latin.

Could Mutevodia possibly have anything to do with (or be a alteration of) the Latin word mutare (change, changeable, variable?) linked to its song, plumage etc (or the fact that Iredale tried to change its name?) ... and some, for me unknown word like; "Voda", "Vodum", "vodus", latinized to vodia (if there are any such words in either Latin or Greek)??

I don´t know if was any help, but ... you asked for "bright ideas or inspiration", so I gave it a try ... that is if we forget "bright"!

The type description of "Pachycephala monacha dorsalis" GRANT 1911 (which I think is considered a junior synonym of P. m. lugubris SALVADORI 1878) doesn´t give any clues whatsoever, but I don´t think it will be worth checking out Salvadori's lugubris as well, since Iredale (1956) clearly points out Grant's "... dorsalis as here defined as type".

Hopefully this will trigger some other, more clever linguists, to explain.

 

[njlarsen]

Well, a little time with google indicates that vodia in Finnish is a form of voda and in slang is used for water. Voda should originate in Russian. http://www.tfode.com/vodia

Whether that has any relevance is unknown

Niels

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Niels,

Sorry, I think the Finnish/Russian vodia only has relevance if your thinking of vodka.

I really hope that Iredale wasn´t using that when he coined the name Mutevodia!?

If so we´ll probably never know the meaning of it!

Cheers!

 

[James Jobling]

Thank you both for your contributions. I think there may be grains of truth in the Latin and Finnish/Russian etymons. Latin mutare could refer to the subspecific differences between Pachycephala monacha monacha and P. m. dorsalis. As to vodia, Iredale refers to dorsalis being described from "the mouth of the Mimika River" (i.e. by the waterside). Neither Iredale nor Mathews were averse to using diverse languages in their coinages (e.g. Vetola, Zarapita).

Since you are both on a roll, could you put your minds to baglafecht ? My current MS reads, baglafecht Perhaps from an Amharic name; ex “Baglafecht” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and "Yellow Bagla Finch” of Bruce 1790 (of which "Baglafecht" may be a French homophone or misspelling) (cf. Bagla or Geez, the classical language of Ethiopia) (see guifsobalito) (Ploceus), but suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Sorry, James ...

I haven´t got any further on that one either. In my notes it only says: Buffon only describes the "Le baglafecht" as a Bird from Abyssinia. He didn´t explaine more than that. Not what I could see ...

A. Smith's Dictionary of Bird Names and their synonyms for Birds of the World (only accessible on Internet, but now gone, vanished) didn´t tell more than: "Baglafecht: given by Buffon, from an Abyssinian name".

But from where Mr. Smith got that I do not know.

Sorry that I couldn´t help you on this one!

PS. Also see earlier thread: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=252461

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Here´s Buffons own words, if it helps ... in French!