African Darter

SCI Name:  Anhinga rufa
Protonym:  Plotus rufus Hist.Nat.[Buffon]ed.Didot 14 p.319
Taxonomy:  Suliformes / Anhingidae / Anhinga
Taxonomy Code:  darter3
Type Locality:  Senegal.
Author:  Daudin
Publish Year:  1802
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ANHINGA
(Anhingidae; Ϯ Anhinga A. anhinga) Tupí name Anhinga  little head, for an evil spirit of the forests, the devil bird; "Le genre de l'Anhinga.  ... Tous les Oiseaux de ce genre ont sur les bords du bec une dentelure fine & peu apparente. L'ongle du doigt du milieu des trois antérieurs est dentelé intérieurement comme une scie" (Brisson 1760): based on “Anhinga” of Marcgrave 1648, Jonston 1650, Willughby 1676, and Ray 1713, "Mergus longirostris" of Barrère 1741, "Mergus Americanus" of Barrère 1745, "Plancus Brasiliensis" of Klein 1750, and "Ptinx" of Moehring 1752; "Anhinga Brisson, Orn., 1, 1760, p. 60; 6, 1760, p. 476. Type, by tautonymy and monotypy, Anhinga [anhinga] Brisson = Plotus anhinga Linné." (Peters, 1931, I, p. 94).
Synon. Liptornis, Notoplotus, Plotus, Ptynx.

anhinga
Tupí name Anhinga  little head, for an evil spirit of the forests, the devil bird; "Habitat in America australi; more Serpentum, contracto prius longiore collo, ejaculatur rostrum in Pisces. Collum longum. Pedes breves digitis omnibus connexis. Caput tomentosum plumis minutissimis" (Linnaeus 1766); ex “Anhinga” of Marcgrave 1648, Willughby 1676, Ray 1713, and Brisson 1760 (Anhinga) (see Anhinga).

rufa
L. rufus  red, ruddy. In ornithology rufus, rufa and rufum cover a wide spectrum of colours from yellow, orange and brown to crimson, scarlet and purple.
● "91. TETRAO.  ...  rufus.  8. T. rostro pedibusque sanguineis, gula alba cincta fascia nigra albo-punctata.  Tetrao rectricibus cinereis: superiore medietate hinc inde rufis. Fn. svec. 171.  Perdix rufa s. major. Gesn. av. 682. Aldr. orn. l. 13. c. 18. Jonst. av. 68. t. 27. Will. orn. 118. t. 29. Raj. av. 57. Alb. av. I. p. 29. t. 29.  Habitat in Europa australiori.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Alectoris).
● ex “Anhinga roux” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Anhinga).
● ex “Ferrugineous Duck” of Pennant 1776 (?syn. Aythya nyroca).
● ex “Pie rousse de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782 (syn. Dendrocitta vagabunda).
● ex “Aigrette rousse de la Louisiane” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 902 (syn. Egretta rufescens).
● ex “Hirondelle à ventre roux de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 724, fig. 1, and “Rufous-bellied Swallow” of Latham 1783 (syn. Hirundo erythrogaster).
● ex “Alouette noire de la Encenada” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 738, fig. 2, and “Alouette noire à dos fauve” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Lessonia).
● ex “Lanius madagascariensis rufus” of Brisson 1760 (Schetba).
● ex “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Kleinste Grasmücke” of Frisch 1733, “Curruca rufa” of Brisson 1760, “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Rufous Warbler” of Latham 1783 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Schet Roux” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 147 (syn. Terpsiphone mutata).

SUBSPECIES

African Darter (rufa)
SCI Name: Anhinga rufa rufa
rufa
L. rufus  red, ruddy. In ornithology rufus, rufa and rufum cover a wide spectrum of colours from yellow, orange and brown to crimson, scarlet and purple.
● "91. TETRAO.  ...  rufus.  8. T. rostro pedibusque sanguineis, gula alba cincta fascia nigra albo-punctata.  Tetrao rectricibus cinereis: superiore medietate hinc inde rufis. Fn. svec. 171.  Perdix rufa s. major. Gesn. av. 682. Aldr. orn. l. 13. c. 18. Jonst. av. 68. t. 27. Will. orn. 118. t. 29. Raj. av. 57. Alb. av. I. p. 29. t. 29.  Habitat in Europa australiori.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Alectoris).
● ex “Anhinga roux” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Anhinga).
● ex “Ferrugineous Duck” of Pennant 1776 (?syn. Aythya nyroca).
● ex “Pie rousse de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782 (syn. Dendrocitta vagabunda).
● ex “Aigrette rousse de la Louisiane” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 902 (syn. Egretta rufescens).
● ex “Hirondelle à ventre roux de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 724, fig. 1, and “Rufous-bellied Swallow” of Latham 1783 (syn. Hirundo erythrogaster).
● ex “Alouette noire de la Encenada” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 738, fig. 2, and “Alouette noire à dos fauve” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Lessonia).
● ex “Lanius madagascariensis rufus” of Brisson 1760 (Schetba).
● ex “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Kleinste Grasmücke” of Frisch 1733, “Curruca rufa” of Brisson 1760, “Fauvette rousse” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 581, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Rufous Warbler” of Latham 1783 (?syn. Sylvia communis).
● ex “Schet Roux” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 147 (syn. Terpsiphone mutata).

African Darter (vulsini)
SCI Name: Anhinga rufa vulsini
vulsini
Prof. Frederick Roelker Wulsin (1891-1961) US zoologist, anthropologist, archaeologist, explorer, collector in tropical Africa, Madagascar and the Far East (subsp. Anhinga rufa).