The history of the name ‘lagopus’ used in avian nomenclature

Abstract

This paper offers a history of the name ‘lagopus’ when used in avian nomenclature. Lagopus today denotes a small genus of the grouse family. Major literary and iconographic contributions to the evolution of the name, from classical antiquity to the present day, are recorded and discussed. There were four distinct stages in the engagement with ‘lagopus’: a first in classical antiquity, a second in the natural histories of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a third in the scientific literature of the sixteenth century, and a fourth in systems of taxonomic classification from the seventeenth century to the present day. In order to address current confusion about the correct gender of Lagopus, the gender employed by various authors is also discussed. The masculine treatment of Lagopus was based on a mistake and feminine adjectives (muta, leucura, scotica) should be employed.