Porphyrolaema
por-fih-roh-LEE-muh
Genus
the purple-throated one
Literally: purple throat
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porphyro- | purple | Greek (porphyr, -o) | combining form with connecting vowel -o- |
| -laema | throat | Greek (laem, -o, =a) | terminal form -a (feminine); Greek λαιμός |
A single compound noun used as a genus name, treated as feminine Latin (ending -a). The first element porphyro- (Greek, purple) modifies the head noun laema (Greek, throat). The compound literally means 'purple throat', a reference to the plumage of the bird — specifically, the Purple-throated Cotinga (family Cotingidae). No specific epithet is present because this is a genus-level name only.
Pronunciation
- por-fih-roh-LEE-muh The diphthong 'ae' in the penult (= long e, 'ee') triggers penult stress (Rule 2: penult contains a diphthong).
Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema is the Purple-throated Cotinga, a bird of the Amazon basin. The genus name is repeated as the specific epithet (a tautonym at the species level, valid under ICZN). The root porphyr- reflects Greek πορφύρα (porphyra), the precious purple dye extracted from murex sea-snails, whence also 'porphyry' (the purple-speckled rock) and 'porphyria'. The root laem- (λαιμός, throat) also appears in other ornithological genera such as Laemornis and compounds like broncholaema.