Myiopagis
my-ee-OH-pa-jis
Genus
fly-catcher
Literally: fly-fastener (one fixed upon flies)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| myio- | a fly | Greek (myi, =a, -o) | combining form myio-; refers to insects caught as prey |
| pag- | fixed, fastened, firm | Greek (pagi, -o) | chosen over homophone pag- 'rock; ice' because the bird is a flycatcher — something that 'fixes itself upon' or 'seizes' flies; pag- 'rock/ice' would make no contextual sense here |
| -is | noun-forming ending | Greek | produces a feminine or common-gender noun in -is |
A single compound Greek noun used as a genus name. myio- (fly) + pag- (fixed/fastened) + -is (noun ending) = 'that which is fastened upon flies', i.e. a fly-catcher. The name is treated as feminine in Latin, as is conventional for animal genus names ending in -is. It is the entire binomial genus name for a group of South American elaenia flycatchers (family Tyrannidae).
Pronunciation
- my-ee-OH-pa-jis Five syllables (my-i-o-pa-gis). Penult 'pa' has a short vowel followed by a single consonant (g), so the penult stress rule is not triggered; stress falls on the antepenult 'o'. The antepenult vowel is short (o followed by a single consonant p, then 'a' — not e/i/y). G before i = 'j'.
Other readings
myio- + pag- (rock/ice) + -is = 'fly of the rocks/ice' — grammatically possible but biologically implausible for a tropical flycatcher.
Two Greek roots share the spelling pag-: 'rock; ice, frost' and 'fixed, fastened, firm'. The flycatcher context clearly favours the latter. Myiopagis is a recognised genus of Neotropical elaenia flycatchers; the name alludes to their insectivorous, fly-catching habit.