Crested Argus

SCI Name:  Rheinardia ocellata
Protonym:  Argus ocellatus Ann.Mag.Nat.Hist.(4), 8 p.119
Taxonomy:  Galliformes / Phasianidae / Rheinardia
Taxonomy Code:  crearg1
Type Locality:  No type locality
Author:  Elliot
Publish Year:  1871
IUCN Status:  Endangered

DEFINITIONS

RHEINARDIA
(Phasianidae; Ϯ Crested Argus R. ocellata) Lt.-Col. Pierre-Paul Rheinart (1840-1902) French Army, explorer in Laos 1869, Chargé d’Affaires in Annam & Tonkin 1875-1876, 1879-1883, Resident-Gen. in Annam 1884, 1888-1889, big-game hunter. "I was quite surprised to learn that Mr. Maingonnat had received from Captain Rheinard one specimen of the bird and that he exhibited it at the meeting of the Zoological Society of France on the 12th June, 1882, giving it the name of Argus Rheinardi.  A few days after, I was at Mr. Maingonnat, and he confirmed me what I had heard. I was quite vexed at the time, as it was a well understood thing between Messrs. Rheinard, Maingonnat and myself that I should describe this bird if Captain Rheinard could get it.  But the thing being done, I could not help it;  but when I saw the bird, I said immediately to Mr. Maingonnat that it was not an Argus, but an extraordinary form of Pheasant between Pavo, Argusianus, and Phasianus, and I suggested the name Rheinardia ocellata for the bird, a name still more honorific for the discoverer of this magnificent species. Mr. Maingonnat took the hint at once, and without any more advice of mine he made a poor description of this new genus in La Science pour tous, July, 1882, p. 210, under the name of Rheinardia ocellata.  The skin from which the description was taken was sold by him to the Paris Museum for 2,000 francs." (Boucard 1892) (Mark Brown in litt.); "Rheinardia Maingounat [sic], Science pour tous, 1882, p. 210. Type, by monotypy, Argus ocellatus Bonaparte = Argus ocellatus Elliot." (Peters 1934, II, 132).
Var. Rheinardius, Rheinartia, Rheinartius, Rheinhardius, Rheinhardtius, Rheinwardtius, Rheinardus.

ocellata / ocellatum / ocellatus
L. ocellatus  ocellated, marked with eyelets < ocellus  eyelet  < dim. oculus  eye.
● ex “Capocier” or “Capolier” of Levaillant 1801-1804, pl. 130, fig. 1 (syn. Prinia maculosa).
● ex “Caille de l’Isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (Turnix).

SUBSPECIES

Crested Argus (ocellata)
SCI Name: Rheinardia ocellata ocellata
ocellata / ocellatum / ocellatus
L. ocellatus  ocellated, marked with eyelets < ocellus  eyelet  < dim. oculus  eye.
● ex “Capocier” or “Capolier” of Levaillant 1801-1804, pl. 130, fig. 1 (syn. Prinia maculosa).
● ex “Caille de l’Isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (Turnix).

Crested Argus (nigrescens)
SCI Name: Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens
nigrescens
L. nigrescens, nigrescentis  blackish  < nigrescere  to become black  < niger  black.