Sakesphoroides
sa-kes-for-OY-deez
Genus
The shield-bearer lookalike (a bird genus resembling the antshrike genus Sakesphorus)
Literally: shield-bearer-like; resembling Sakesphorus
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sake(s)- | A shield (Greek σάκος, sákos); appears in compounds as sake(s)-, the stem form with a connective -s- | Greek (sac, -o, =us) | Greek σάκος; the root sac-/sak- sheds its final -c before the following consonant and takes a connective -s- in the compound Sakesphorus, on which this genus name is built |
| -phor- | Carry, bear; movement | Greek (phor, -a, -e, -i, -o) | Greek φόρος (phóros), bearer; combined with sake(s)- the parent genus Sakesphorus = 'shield-bearer' |
| -o- | Connecting vowel | Standard Greek connecting vowel linking -phor- to the suffix | |
| -ides | Like; having the form of; resembling | Greek (-oid) | Greek -οειδής (-oeidēs), from εἶδος (eîdos, form/image); the full suffix -oides = -o- + eido + -es nominative ending; dictionary has '-oid' (like; form) and 'eido' (a form, image; like) |
Sakesphoroides is a New Latin genus name (single capitalized word, treated as grammatically feminine following Greek -es nominative endings). It is formed by appending the Greek suffix -oides (resembling) directly to the stem of the pre-existing genus name Sakesphorus (Bonaparte, 1837). Sakesphorus itself compounds Greek σάκος (shield) + Greek φόρος (bearer) = 'shield-bearer', a reference to the boldly patterned plumage of those antbirds. Sakesphoroides therefore means 'resembling a shield-bearer (Sakesphorus)'. The genus was erected to accommodate the Silvery-cheeked Antshrike (S. cristatus) when molecular data placed it outside the core Sakesphorus clade.
Pronunciation
- sa-kes-for-OY-deez Penult stress: the penult syllable contains the diphthong 'oi' (rule 2 — penult contains a diphthong); final -es = 'ease' (long e, rule for -es endings)
Other readings
The -s- between sake- and -phor- could be read as the Greek genitive/stem-final sigma of σάκος rather than a pure connective; the meaning is unchanged: 'bearer of a shield'.
The dictionary entry for the shield root is spelled 'sac, -o, =us' (Greek), reflecting Greek σάκος (sákos). The 'k' spelling in Sakesphorus/-oides follows the conventional Latinized 'k' for Greek kappa, which is not unusual in 19th-century ornithological nomenclature. The suffix -oides is a compound of the connecting vowel -o- + Greek εἶδος (eidos, form/image) + the Greek nominative singular ending -es; the dictionary lists both '-oid' (like; form) and 'eido' (a form, image; like) as separate entries confirming this. Sakesphoroides cristatus (Wied, 1831) — the Silvery-cheeked Antshrike — is the sole species in this monotypic genus (Thamnophilidae). Cannot verify name availability; check ZooBank or GBIF for nomenclatural status.