White-bellied Chachalaca

SCI Name:  Ortalis leucogastra
Protonym:  Penelope leucogastra Proc.Zool.Soc.London Pt11 no.126 p.105
Taxonomy:  Galliformes / Cracidae / Ortalis
Taxonomy Code:  whbcha1
Type Locality:  No locality.
Author:  Gould
Publish Year:  1843
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ORTALIS
(Cracidae; Ϯ Little Chachalaca O. motmot) Gr. ορταλις ortalis, ορταλιδος ortalidos  chicken; "In the year 1786 Blasius Merrem published his 'Avium rariorum et minus cognitarum icones et descriptiones collectæ e germanicis latinaæ factæ;' and under his account of his Penelope jacupema, of which he quotes "Alector brasilianus, Klein, Hist. Av. pag. 112," as a synonym, he proposes in the following words a subdivision of this genus Alector: — "Quod genus, cum multas sane species comprehendat, in plures phalanges dividendum videtur, quarum primam cum Linnæo atque Brissonio Cracem, eam, ad quam nostra pertinet species, Penelopen, tertiam, ad quam Phasianus Motmot et similes ei referendæ sunt aves, Ortalida appello." (Fasc. ii. p. 40.)  How any one can have read this passage and not seen that "Ortalida" was the accusative case governed by "ap, pello" is indeed a marvel; but the fact remains that, to this day, "Ortalida" is constantly used as the name of a genus  ...  It is true that the accurate Gloger, in his 'Gemeinnütz. Hand- u. Hilfsbuch der Naturgeschichte' (Breslau, 1842), p. 373, uses the name "Ortalis" as if no one could have ever thought of any other form for the nominative case.  Whoever first adopted Merrem's name, evidently copied it hastily from the Latin; and his oversight seems never yet to have been seriously noticed. But there is no doubt that Merrem had in mind the classical Greek word ορταλις, which mainly corresponds to the Latin pullus and to our "chicken," a Bœotian word (probably akin to ορνις) which, say Liddell and Scott (1869), passed into general poetic use. Hence it is clear that, whenever the name is used, the genus should be called ORTALIS, as the only nominative form of the feminine noun." (Wharton 1879); "Ortalida (accusative case) = Ortalis (nominative) Merrem, Avium rar. Icon. et Descr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 40. Type, by original designation Phasianus motmot Linné." (Peters 1934, II, 16).
Var. Ortalida, Oztalida, Ortaldia.
Synon. Peneloides, Penelops, Penelopsis.

leucogaster / leucogastra / leucogastris
Gr. λευκος leukos  white; γαστηρ gastēr, γαστρος gastros  belly.
● ex “Guainumbi sp. 1” of Marcgrave 1648, “Mellisuga cayanensis ventre albo” of Brisson 1760, “Oiseau-mouche à cravate dorée de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 672, fig. 3, “Cravate-dorée” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Gold-throated Humming-bird” of Latham 1782 (Agyrtria).
● (Boddaert 1783) ex “Merle violet à ventre blanc de Juida” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 648, fig. 1, and de Buffon 1770-1785 (Cinnyricinclus).
● (J. Gmelin 1789) ex “Merle violet à ventre blanc de Juida” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 648, fig. 1, and “Whidah Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Cinnyricinclus leucogaster).
● ex “Drongri à Ventre Blanc” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 171 (syn. Dicrurus leucophaeus).
● ex "Héron bleuâtre à ventre blanc de Cayenne" of d'Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 350, and "Demi-Aigrette" of de Buffon 1770-1786 (syn. Egretta tricolor).
● ex "Jacamar à Ventre Blanc" of Levaillant 1807 (Galbula).
● ex “White-bellied Eagle” of Latham 1781 (Haliaeetus).
● ex “Malkoha” of Levaillant 1807, pl. 224 (syn. Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus).
● ex “Geai à ventre jaune de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 249 (syn. Pitangus sulphuratus).
● ex “Fou de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 973 (Sula).