Caribbean Martin

SCI Name:  Progne dominicensis
Protonym:  Hirundo dominicensis Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.1025
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Hirundinidae / Progne
Taxonomy Code:  carmar1
Type Locality:  Hispaniola.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1789
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PROGNE
(Hirundinidae; Ϯ Purple Martin P. subis) L. progne or procne  swallow (Gr. myth. Progne, Prokne or Procne, daughter of King Pandion of Athens and wife to King Tereus of Thrace. Tereus raped Progne’s sister, Philomela, cut out his victim’s tongue and then imprisoned her. Progne discovered the hideous deed by way of a smuggled tapestry, rescued her sister, and, in revenge, butchered her own son Itylus and fed him to Tereus at a Bacchic orgy. Before Tereus could put the dishonoured sisters to the sword they were metamorphosed into a nightingale and a swallow); "I. Fam. Hirundinidae Vigors.  Hirundo Lin.  ...  Progne: Hir. purpurea Gm.  Wils. pl. 39 fig. 2. u.a."(Boie 1826); "Progne Boie, 1826, Isis von Oken, col. 971. Type, by monotypy, Hirundo purpurea "Gm. Wils. pl. 39, fig. 2" = Hirundo subis Linnaeus." (Peters 1960, IX, 85).
Var. Procne.
Synon. Phaeoprogne, Tapera.

progne
Gr. myth. Progne or Procne, daughter of King Pandion of Athens and wife to King Tereus of Thrace (see Progne); ex “Veuve à epaulettes” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Euplectes).

dominicensis / dominicus
Santo Domingo or San Domingo (= Hispaniola), West Indies.
● Erroneous TL San Domingo (= Puerto Rico); ex “Perroquet de Saint-Domingue” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 792, “Papegai à bandeau rouge” of de Buffon 12770-1783, and “Red-banded Parrot” of Latham 1781 (syn. Amazona vittata).
● ex “Colibry de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760 (Anthracothorax).
● ex “Alouette de mer de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Calidris melanotos).
● Erroneous TL. Santo Domingo (= South Africa) (syn. Caprimulgus pectoralis).
● ex “Tangara de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760, and “Tangara de Saint-Domingue” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 156, fig. 2 (Dulus).
● ex “Esmerillon de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760, and “St.-Domingo Falcon” of Latham 1781 (subsp. Falco sparverius).
● ex “Carouge de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760 (Icterus).
● Erroneous TL. San Domingo (= East Indies); “The oldest name for this bird is, no doubt, Turdus dominicus of P. L. S. Müller ...a gentleman who brought out an edition of Linnæus’s ‘Systema Naturae’ and included species published since 1766 ...It is a great question whether this author is entitled to recognition at the hands of ornithologists, as he was apparently colour-blind – witness his bestowing the name of viridis upon the rufous-and-grey Terpsiphone of South Africa, and castanea upon the totally black Philepitta jala of Madagascar! In the case of Lalage terat he has committed himself greatly, as he has not noticed the numbers of the figures on D’Aubenton’s plate [pl. 273], and has named the upper bird (“Merle des Indes orientales”) dominica, instead of the under figure, which represents a bird from San Domingo [“Merle de Saint-Domingue”]; to this he has given the name of indicus” (Sharpe 1879) (syn Lalage nigra).
● ex “Merle de Saint-Domingue” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Mimus polyglottos orpheus).
● ex “Chilcanauhtli” of Hernandez 1651, and “Querquedula dominicensis” or “Sarcelle de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760 (Nomonyx).
● ex “Hirondelle de S. Domingue” of Brisson 1760, and “Hirondelle d’Amérique” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 545, fig. 1 (Progne).
● ex “Chouette” or “Grande Chevêche de St. Domingue” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Saint Domingo Owl” of Latham 1785 (syn. Speotyto cunicularia).
● Erroneous TL San Domingo (?= Jamaica); ex “Tourterelle de Saint-Domingue” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 487 (unident.; ?Starnoenas).
● ex "Grèbe de rivière de S. Domingue" of Brisson 1760 (Tachybaptus).
● ex “Tyran de Sainte Domingue” of Brisson 1760, and “Saint Domingo Tyrant” of Latham 1781 (Tyrannus).