Blyth's Kingfisher

SCI Name:  Alcedo hercules
Protonym:  Alcedo hercules Verh.Orn.Ges.Bayern 13 Heft1 p.105
Taxonomy:  Coraciiformes / Alcedinidae / Alcedo
Taxonomy Code:  blykin1
Type Locality:  
Author:  Laubmann
Publish Year:  1917
IUCN Status:  Near Threatened

DEFINITIONS

ALCEDO
(Alcedinidae; Ϯ Common Kingfisher A. atthis ispida) L. alcedo, alcedinis  or halcedo, halcedinis  kingfisher.  The later spellings are from the false etymology of Gr. ἁλς hals  sea; "56. ALCEDO.  Rostrum trigonum, crassum, rectum, longum.  Lingua carnosa, brevissima, plana, acuta." (Linnaeus 1758); "Alcedo Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 115. Type, by subsequent designation, Alcedo ispida Linné. (Swainson, Zool. Illustr., 1, 1820-21 (1821), text to pl. 26.)" (Peters, 1945, V, p. 170).  Linnaeus's Alcedo comprised seven species (A. Ispida, A. erithaca, A. Alcyon, A. Todus, A. smyrnensis, A. rudis, A. Dea).  New data supports the possible creation of a new order (Alcediniformes), containing the kingfishers, motmots and todies, separate from the current Coraciiformes.
Var. Halcedo, Alaudo, Aleedo, Alucido. 
Synon. Alcedoides, Alcyone, Caeruleornis, Capya, Cyanispida, Euryzonia, Ispida, Kerytus, Megalcedo, Pseudalcedo.

alcedo
L. alcedo, alcedinis or halcedo, halcedinis  kingfisher (see Alcedo).

hercules / herculis
● Gr. myth. Hercules or Heracles, the celebrated giant hero, later deified (Alcedo, subsp. Cracticus cassicus, ‡syn. Dinornis novaezealandiae).
● Ercole Conte Turati (1829-1881) Italian banker, naturalist, collector (syn. Pygoscelis adeliae).