Little Bee-eater

SCI Name:  Merops pusillus
Protonym:  Merops pusillus Natursyst.Suppl. Suppl. p.95
Taxonomy:  Coraciiformes / Meropidae / Merops
Taxonomy Code:  libeat1
Type Locality:  Senegal.
Author:  Statius Muller
Publish Year:  1776
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MEROPS
(Meropidae; Ϯ European Bee-eater M. apiaster) L. merops, meropis  bee-eater  < Gr. μεροψ merops  bee-eater; "57. MEROPS.  Rostrum curvatum, compressum, carinatum.  Lingua apice laciniata.  Digiti infimo articulo coadunati: postico distincto." (Linnaeus 1758); "Merops Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 117. Type, by tautonymy, Merops apiaster Linné (Merops, prebinomial specific name in synonymy)." (Peters 1945, V, 233). Linnaeus's Merops comprised four species (M. Apiaster, M. viridis, M. cinereus, M. cafer).
Synon. Aerops, Apiaster, Archimerops, Blepharomerops, Bombylonax, Coccolarynx, Cosmaerops, Dicreadium, Dicrocercus, Melittias, Melittophagus, Melittophas, Melittotheres, Meropiscus, Micromerops, Patricus, Phlothrus, Spheconax, Sphecophobus, Tachymerops, Tephraerops, Urica.

pusillum / pusillus
L. pusillus  tiny, very small  < dim. pusus  little boy  < puer  boy.
● ex “Chevechette” of Levaillant 1799, pl. 46 (syn. Glaucidium passerinum).
● ex “Petit Guêpier du Sénégal” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 318 (Merops).
● ex “Barbion” of Levaillant 1806 (Pogoniulus).
● ex "Lesser Black Promerops" of Latham 1822 (syn. Scoptelus aterrimus).
● ex “Sucrion” of Levaillant 1812, pl. 298 (Cinnyris artefact).

SUBSPECIES

Little Bee-eater (pusillus)
SCI Name: Merops pusillus pusillus
pusillum / pusillus
L. pusillus  tiny, very small  < dim. pusus  little boy  < puer  boy.
● ex “Chevechette” of Levaillant 1799, pl. 46 (syn. Glaucidium passerinum).
● ex “Petit Guêpier du Sénégal” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 318 (Merops).
● ex “Barbion” of Levaillant 1806 (Pogoniulus).
● ex "Lesser Black Promerops" of Latham 1822 (syn. Scoptelus aterrimus).
● ex “Sucrion” of Levaillant 1812, pl. 298 (Cinnyris artefact).

Little Bee-eater (ocularis)
SCI Name: Merops pusillus ocularis
ocularis
L. ocularis  of the eyes, ocular  < oculus  eye.
● “The widespread error of transcribing this name as ocularius has been pointed out by Macdonald and Grant, 1953, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 22, pp. 197-203” (Moreau in Peters XV 1962) (Ploceus).

Little Bee-eater (cyanostictus)
SCI Name: Merops pusillus cyanostictus
cyanostictus
Gr. κυανος kuanos  dark-blue; στικτος stiktos  spotted  < στιζω stizō  to tattoo.

Little Bee-eater (meridionalis)
SCI Name: Merops pusillus meridionalis
meridionale / meridionalis
L. meridionalis  southern  < meridies  south.
● Cayenne; ex “Rufous-headed Falcon” of Latham 1787 (Heterospizias).
● South Island, New Zealand; ex “Southern brown Parrot” of Latham 1781 (Nestor).
● Erroneous TL. Bahamas (= Trinidad) (syn. Trogon violaceus).

Little Bee-eater (argutus)
SCI Name: Merops pusillus argutus
argutus
L. argutus  noisy, penetrating  < arguere  to accuse.