Reunion Night-Heron

SCI Name:  Nycticorax duboisi
Protonym:  Ardea duboisi Extinct Birds 114
Taxonomy:  Pelecaniformes / Ardeidae / Nycticorax
Taxonomy Code:  reunih1
Type Locality:  
Author:  Rothschild
Publish Year:  1907
IUCN Status:  Extinct

DEFINITIONS

NYCTICORAX
(Ardeidae; Ϯ Black-crowned Night Heron N. nycticorax) Specific name Ardea nycticorax Linnaeus, 1758; "153. NYCTICORAX INFAVSTVS.  THE NIGHT RAVEN." (T. Forster 1817); "Nycticorax T. Forster, Synopt. Cat. Brit. Bds., 1817, p. 59. Type, by tautonymy and monotypy, Nycticorax infaustus Forster = Ardea nycticorax Linné." (Peters 1931, I, 114) (see nycticorax).
Var. Nicticorax, Nigricorax (L. niger black).
Synon. Maridus, Megaphoyx, Nycterodius, Nyctiardea, Scotaeus.

nycticorax
L. nycticorax, nycticoracis  unknown bird, probably an owl  < Gr. νυκτικοραξ nuktikorax, νυκτικορακος nuktikorakos  bird of evil omen mentioned by Aristotle, Hesychius and other authors, probably a sort of owl, but long associated with the night heron  < νυξ nux, νυκτος  nuktos night; κοραξ korax, κορακος korakos  raven  < κρωζω krōzō  to croak; “The Germans call it, Nacht rab, that is, Night-raven, and under that title it is figured and described by Gesner ...  It is called Night-Raven, because in the night time it cries with an uncouth voice, like one that were straining to vomit” (Ray 1678); "76. ARDEA.  ...  Nycticorax.  9. A. crista occipitis tripenni dependente, dorso nigro, abdomine flavescente.  Nycticorax. Gesn. av. 628. Aldr. orn. l. 19. c. 57. p. 272.  Ardea cinerea minor. Will. orn. 204. t. 49. Raj. av. 99. n. 3. Mars. danub. 5. t. 3. Alb. av. 2. p. 62. t. 67. Aldr. orn. l. 20. c. 10.  Habitat in Europa australi.  Frons alba circum rostrum. Dorsum nigrum, abdomen album. Pennæ cristæ 3, teretiusculæ, albæ, ad medium dorsi dependentes." (Linnaeus 1758) (Nycticorax).

duboisi
● Dr Alphonse Joseph Charles Dubois (1839-1921) Belgian zoologist (subsp. Bycanistes sharpii, subsp. Ploceus melanocephalus).
● Henri Loyseau Sieur Dubois (fl. 1673) French secretary and quartermaster to Lt.-Gen. Charles de La Chaussée Seigneur de Champmargou, in Madagascar and the Mascarenes 1669-1672 (Mark Brown in litt.) (‡Falco, ‡syn. Mascarinus mascarin, ‡Nesoenas, ‡Nycticorax).