Gray-backed Tern / Onychoprion lunatus
WBN 
Gray-backed Tern
SCI Name:
Protonym: Sterna lunata U.S.Expl.Exped. 8 p.227
Taxonomy: Charadriiformes / Laridae / Onychoprion
Taxonomy Code: gybter1
Type Locality: Vincennes Island, Paumotu Group.
Author: Peale
Publish Year: 1848
IUCN Status: Least Concern
DEFINITIONS
ONYCHOPRION
(Laridae; Ϯ Sooty Tern O. fuscatus) Gr. ονυξ onux, ονυχος onukhos claw, nail; πριων priōn, πριονος prionos saw; "β. Hirundines aquaticae. Genus Onychoprion Wagl., Reicherschwalbe. (Genus novum.) Wesentliches äußeres Kennzeichen: unguis digiti medii latere interno ut in Ardeis et Caprimulgis serratus. Hierher: Sterna serrata Forster. Sieh Wagler, Natürl. Syst. der Amphib. p. 89." (Wagler 1832); "Onychoprion Wagler, Isis, 1832, col. 277—type, by monotypy, Sterna serrata Wagler (ex Forster MS.) = Sterna fuscata Linnaeus." (Hellmayr & Conover 1948, XIII, 302).
Var. Onynochoprion.
Synon. Dipsaleon, Haliplana, Melanosterna, Planetis, Thalassipora.
lunatus
L. lunatus crescent-shaped, sickle-shaped, lunate < luna moon.
● ex “Fuscalbin” of Audebert & Vieillot 1802 (Melithreptus).
UPPERCASE: current genus
Uppercase first letter: generic synonym
● and ● See: generic homonyms
lowercase: species and subspecies
●: early names, variants, mispellings
‡: extinct
†: type species
Gr.: ancient Greek
L.: Latin
<: derived from
syn: synonym of
/: separates historical and modern geographic names
ex: based on
TL: type locality
OD: original diagnosis (genus) or original description (species)
