Razorbill

SCI Name:  Alca torda
Protonym:  Alca Torda Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.130
Taxonomy:  Charadriiformes / Alcidae / Alca
Taxonomy Code:  razorb
Type Locality:  'Europae borealis oceano''; restricted type locality, southern Sweden.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Near Threatened

DEFINITIONS

ALCA
(Alcidae; Ϯ Razorbill A. torda) Old Norse names Alk and Alka for the Razorbill (giving rise to modern Icelandic Álka and Norwegian Alke) (Björn Bergenholtz in litt.);"Alca L. (torda: sp. typica, nomine "alk" isl.*), a Patribus mature, a Linneo in S. N. VI, 1748, adoptato  ...  *)Nomen Alca derivatione quidem barbarum, forma vero gratum, usu antiquo et frequenti" (Sundevall 1873); "63. ALCA.  Rostrum edentulum, breve, compressum, convexum, sulcatum sæpius transverse: Mandibula inferior ante basin gibba.  Pedes plerisque tridactyli." (Linnaeus 1758); "Alca Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 1, 1758, p. 130. Type, by tautonymy, Alca torda Linné (Alca, prebinomial specific name in synonymy)." (Peters, 1934, II, p. 351) (see torda). Linnaeus's Alca comprised six species (A. Torda, A. impennis, A. arctica, A. Lomvia, A. Grylle, A. Alle).
Var. Alka, Alia, Alea.
Synon. Pingouin, Utamania.

torda
“Adapted from the Gotland dialect name “tord” or “törd”. On the mainland the Razorbill is called tordmule or turmule. Picked up by Linnaeus on Gotland in 1741 (the name is mentioned in his journal)” (Tommy Tyrberg in litt.); "63. ALCA.  ...  Torda.  1. A. rostri sulcis quatuor, linea utrinque alba a rostro ad oculos. It. gottl. 286. Fn. svec. 120.  Alca. Clus. exot. 367. Worm. mus. 363. Will. orn. 243. t. 64. f. 1. & t. 65. f. 2. Raj. av. 119. Alb. av. 3. p. 90. t. 95.  Habitat in Europæ borealis oceano.  Plures ova solitaria simul in antro rupium pariunt, conjunctis viribus alternatis excludunt, unica excubias agente; erectæ incedunt." (Linnaeus 1758) (Alca).

Torda
‡ (syn. Pinguinus Ϯ Great Auk P. impennis) Specific name Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758; "4. Les pingoins (torda) n'ont point de pennes du tout aux ailes. Ce sont des oiseaux du Nord" (Duméril 1806); "4. Die Pinguins (torda) haben gar keine Federn an den Flügeln. Es find dies den Norden bewohnende Vögel.   Z.B. alca torda L." (Froriep 1806 (ed. of Duméril)); "Torda Duméril, Zool. Anal., p. 72, 1806—type, by subs. desig. (Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., 26, p. 562, 1898), Alca impennis Linnaeus." (Hellmayr & Conover 1948, XIII, 347) (see torda).

SUBSPECIES

Razorbill (torda)
SCI Name: Alca torda torda
torda
“Adapted from the Gotland dialect name “tord” or “törd”. On the mainland the Razorbill is called tordmule or turmule. Picked up by Linnaeus on Gotland in 1741 (the name is mentioned in his journal)” (Tommy Tyrberg in litt.); "63. ALCA.  ...  Torda.  1. A. rostri sulcis quatuor, linea utrinque alba a rostro ad oculos. It. gottl. 286. Fn. svec. 120.  Alca. Clus. exot. 367. Worm. mus. 363. Will. orn. 243. t. 64. f. 1. & t. 65. f. 2. Raj. av. 119. Alb. av. 3. p. 90. t. 95.  Habitat in Europæ borealis oceano.  Plures ova solitaria simul in antro rupium pariunt, conjunctis viribus alternatis excludunt, unica excubias agente; erectæ incedunt." (Linnaeus 1758) (Alca).

Razorbill (islandica)
SCI Name: Alca torda islandica
islandica / islandicus / islandorum / islandus
Iceland  < Icelandic Ísland (cf. Med. L. Islandensis  Icelandic).
● ex “Hravn Oend” of O. F. Müller 1776, and “Iceland Duck” of Latham 1785 (Bucephala).
● ex “Gerfaut d’Islande” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Falco rusticolus).
● Balta Sound, Shetland Is. (syn. Larus glaucoides).