Pearl-spotted Owlet

SCI Name:  Glaucidium perlatum
Protonym:  Strix perlata Nouv.Dict.Hist.Nat. 7 p.26
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Glaucidium
Taxonomy Code:  pesowl1
Type Locality:  Senegal.
Author:  Vieillot
Publish Year:  1817
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

GLAUCIDIUM
(Strigidae; Ϯ Northern Pygmy Owl G. passerinum) Gr. γλαυκιδιον glaukidion  little owl, owlet  < dim. γλαυξ glaux, γλαυκος glaukos  owl; "IV. Fam. Strigidae   ...  Glaucidium: St. nana Tem; passerina Lin. u. a. m." (Boie 1826); "Glaucidium Boie, Isis von Oken, 1826, Bd. 2, col. 970. Type, by subsequent designation, Strix passerina Linné (Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 6)." (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 127).
Var. Gaucidium.
Synon. Microglaux, Microptynx, Noctua, Nyctipetes, Phalaenopsis, Smithiglaux, Taenioglaux, Taenioptynx.

perlata / perlatum / perlatus
Mod. L. perlatus  perlated, pearly  < Med. L. perla  pearl  < L. lapis perlucidulus  pearl  < perlucere  to be transparent (cf. Med. L. perlatus  very wide  < L. latus  wide).
● ex “Tetrao chinensis” of Osbeck 1757, “Perdix chinensis” of Brisson 1760, “Perdrix de la Chine” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Pearled Partridge” of Latham 1783 (syn. Francolinus pintadeanus).
● ex “Chevêchette Perlée” of Levaillant 1810 (Glaucidium).
● ex “Tuidara” of Marcgrave 1648 (syn. Tyto pratincola).

SUBSPECIES

Pearl-spotted Owlet (perlatum)
SCI Name: Glaucidium perlatum perlatum
perlata / perlatum / perlatus
Mod. L. perlatus  perlated, pearly  < Med. L. perla  pearl  < L. lapis perlucidulus  pearl  < perlucere  to be transparent (cf. Med. L. perlatus  very wide  < L. latus  wide).
● ex “Tetrao chinensis” of Osbeck 1757, “Perdix chinensis” of Brisson 1760, “Perdrix de la Chine” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Pearled Partridge” of Latham 1783 (syn. Francolinus pintadeanus).
● ex “Chevêchette Perlée” of Levaillant 1810 (Glaucidium).
● ex “Tuidara” of Marcgrave 1648 (syn. Tyto pratincola).

Pearl-spotted Owlet (licua)
SCI Name: Glaucidium perlatum licua
licua
Original orthography (i.e. initial capital letter) would seem to indicate that this is an autochthonym in South Africa for the Pearl-spotted Owlet; "31. -[Strix]-  Licua Licht.  Habitu (i.e. partium inter se ratione, praecipue remigum rectricumque longitudine mutua) et pictura, simillima Str. passerinae Lin. (pygmaeae Bechst.), sed major, 8-pollicaris, differt quoque rectricum fasciis 6 albis latioribus vix linearibus, sed interruptis, e macula utrinque orbiculari conflatis, terminali nulla." (Lichtenstein 1842, Verz. Samml. Säugeth. Vögel. Kaffernlande, p. 12).  However, Björn Bergenholtz in litt. alludes to Cole 1990, S. Afr. Journ. Afr. Lang., 10 (4), p. 349, where Lekwa is given as the Tswana name for the Vaal River (the original habitat of this owl) (subsp. Glaucidium perlatum).