Willet

SCI Name:  Tringa semipalmata
Protonym:  Scolopax semipalmata Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.659
Taxonomy:  Charadriiformes / Scolopacidae / Tringa
Taxonomy Code:  willet1
Type Locality:  New York.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1789
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

TRINGA
(Scolopacidae; Ϯ Green Sandpiper T. ochropus) Late Med. L. tringa name given to the Green Sandpiper by Aldrovandus 1599 < Gr. τρυγγας trungas thrush-sized, white-rumped wading bird that bobs its tail, mentioned by Aristotle, not further identified, but taken by later authors to be a sandpiper, wagtail, or dipper; "78. TRINGA.  Rostrum teretiusculum, longitudine capitis.  Pedes tetradactyli: postico uniarticulato a terra elevato." (Linnaeus 1758); "Tringa Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 148. Type, by tautonymy, Tringa ocrophus Linné (Tringa, prebinomial specific name in synonymy)." (Peters 1934, II, 264). Linnaeus's Tringa comprised thirteen species (T. Pugnax, T. Vanellus, T. Gambetta, T. Interpres, T. tobata, T. Fulicaria, T. alpina, T. Ocrophus, T. Hypoleucos, T. Canutus, T. Glareola, T. littorea, T. Squatarola).  
Var. Trunga, Trynga, Tryngas, Tringra, Trinca, Frinca, Fringa.
Synon. Aegialodes, Carites, Catoptrophorus, Erythroscelus, Gambetta, Glottis, Helodromas, Heteractitis, Heteroscelus, Hodites, Iliornis, Limicula, Nea, Neoglottis, Ochropus, Pseudoglottis, Pseudototanus, Rhyacophilus, Totanus.
● (syn. Calidris Ϯ Red Knot C. canutus) “Type by subsequent designation of Gray (List Gen. Bds. 1^st ed. 1840, p. 69): T. canutus Linn. If the method of Linnean tautonymy be followed, the type of the genus must be ... Tringa ochropus Linn.” (BOU 1915).
● (syn. Vanellus Ϯ Northern Lapwing V. vanellus) "GENUS 115. TRINGA Lin. Cuv. Lath. Dumer.  Vanellus Briss. Bechst. Meyer.  Parra LaCépède. (Kibitz Germ. Vanneau Gall. Lapwing Angl.)  ...  Species: Tringa Vanellus, varia Lin.  Parra Cayennensis Lin Gmel.  Observat: Tota avis, praesertim secundum rostrum, ita similis est Charadriis, ut, demto halluce, discrimen vix restet. Caeterum observo, Tringae characteres a Linnaeo enumeratos, cum solis Vanellis Auctorum quadrare, nec cum Actitibus, quas cum illis confuderat. Nomen Tringae hanc ob caussam Vanellis servandum erat" (Illiger 1811).

semipalmata / semipalmatus
Mod. L. semipalmatus  semipalmated  < L. semi-  half-, semi-, small  < semis, semissis  half  < as, assis  whole; palmatus  palmate  < palma  palm.
● ex Tringa hiaticula Ord, 1824 (Charadrius).
● ex “Semipalmated Snipe” of Pennant 1785, and Latham 1785 (Tringa).
 

SUBSPECIES

Willet (Eastern)
SCI Name: Tringa semipalmata semipalmata
semipalmata / semipalmatus
Mod. L. semipalmatus  semipalmated  < L. semi-  half-, semi-, small  < semis, semissis  half  < as, assis  whole; palmatus  palmate  < palma  palm.
● ex Tringa hiaticula Ord, 1824 (Charadrius).
● ex “Semipalmated Snipe” of Pennant 1785, and Latham 1785 (Tringa).
 

Willet (Western)
SCI Name: Tringa semipalmata inornata
inornata / inornatum / inornatus
L. inornatus  plain, unadorned  < in-  not; ornatus  adorned, decorated  < ornare  to adorn.
● See: mavornata