- Syma megarhyncha (the Mountain Kingfisher)
- Syma torotoro (the Yellow-billed Kingfisher)
Ever since learning of this ~10-15 years ago, I have been intrigued with this genus (since I share a last name with it).
How did the genus acquire the name 'Syma'? If my understanding of [Linnean?] taxonomy is correct, the describer gets to name the genus.
Per Wikipedia, Syma megarhyncha was described by Salvadori in 1896.
Per Wikipedia, Syma torotoro was described by Lesson in 1827.
Thus, Lesson would have been the describer who got to 'name' the genus Syma (Wikispecies confirms this). But why? The answer to that is likely in his paper,* which is written in French.
According to Wikipedia, René Primevère Lesson was was a French surgeon and naturalist.
* Bulletin Universel Des Sciences Et De L'Industrie. 11 sect2(Sci.Nat.Geol.) p.443
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