Neopsephotus
nee-oh-SEF-oh-tus
Genus
New Psephotus; the pebble-eared parrot reborn as a distinct genus
Literally: New pebble-eared one
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| neo- | New, recent | Greek (neo) | Combining form; here signals a segregate genus split from the existing genus Psephotus |
| pseph- | A small stone, pebble; by extension, mottled or speckled (as spotted plumage) | Greek (pseph, -i, -o) | psephos = pebble; the connecting -o- of psepho- is absorbed into the following -otus |
| -ot- | The ear | Greek (ot, -i, -o) | Stem of Greek ous/ōtos; -otus as a terminal element is common in bird genera (cf. Otus, Asio) |
| -us | Latin nominative singular masculine ending | Latin | Standard latinized genus termination |
Neopsephotus is a single-word genus name formed by prefixing neo- ('new') to the already-established parrot genus Psephotus. Psephotus itself breaks into pseph- (pebble/speckled) + -otus (eared). The whole compound is treated as a Latin masculine noun in the nominative singular. When Bourke's parrot was removed from Psephotus and given its own genus, the prefix neo- marked it as the 'new' (i.e., segregated) counterpart of that genus.
Pronunciation
- nee-oh-SEF-oh-tus Five syllables: ne|o|pseph|o|tus. Penult vowel (-o-) is a short connecting vowel followed by a single consonant (t), so rules 4 and 5 do not apply; stress falls on the antepenult (pseph).
Other readings
neo- + Psephotus (whole existing genus name) rather than neo- + pseph- + -otus; both readings yield the same form and meaning
Neopsephotus bourkii (Bourke's parrot) is the sole species; the genus was separated from Psephotus on molecular grounds in the 2000s. The meaning 'darkness' for pseph- is attested but the ornithological use almost certainly targets the pebble/speckled sense, matching the mottled pastel plumage of Bourke's parrot. The suffix -otus ('eared') is not listed as a standalone entry in the dictionary but is fully supported by the root ot- ('ear') plus the Latin -us ending; confidence is high.