Etymologies of Brazilian Amphibians

Herpetologia Brasileira - Suplemento 1
Caecilia, Coecilia: L. caecilia, blind-worm, in turn from L. caecus, blind. Caecilia
Linnaeus, 1758. (?). Also Coecilia — Latreille in Sonnini de Manoncourt
and Latreille, 1802 “An. X”. The generic name Coecilia is due to Linnaeus
(1758), not an incorrect subsequent spelling of Latreille (An X), as
mentioned by Frost (2021). In fact, Linnaeus used two alternative original
spellings for the limbless amphibians included in SN 10, Coecilia on page
196 (corrected to Caecilia in the Emendanda after p. 823), and Caecilia
on page 229. The following year (Linnaeus, 1759: 70; 81), consistently employed
the spelling Caecilia, but again in SN 12 (Linnaeus, 1766), used both.
The spelling Caecilia took precedence by the action of Linnaeus (1759) (art.
24. 2. 2, ICZN, 1999) although this work is not consistently binominal (see
art. 12. 2. 1 for the criteria of availability). Same root in Caeciliidae Rafinesque,
1814.
Caecilita: L. Caecilia, genus of gymnophiones due to Linnaeus, 1758 (see) L. -ita,
suffix diminutive. Caecilita Wake & Donnelly, 2010 (“... The generic epithet
refers to the small size of the new caeciliid taxon ...”). In the synonymy
of Microcaecilia Taylor, 1968.
caeruleodactylus: L. caeruleus, blue, cerulean, dark; greenish-blue, azure + G.
dactylos (δάκτυλος), finger, toe. Colostethus caeruleodactylus Lima &
Caldwell, 2001. (“... The name is in allusion to the sky blue digits of the
male frog during the breeding season ...”). Today Allobates caeruleodactylus
(Lima & Caldwell, 2001).
caete: P. caetê, virgin forest, from T. caá-etê. true, virgin, or primitive forest. (1) Hylodes
caete Malagoli et al., 2017. (“... Here, caete refers to the high preserved
forests that harbor the fast streams with clear water in which the new species
is known to breed ...”). (2) Physalaemus caete Pombal & Madureira, 1997.
(“... The specific name is an allusion for the forest habitat, ... where P. caete
and most of the species of the P. signifer group are collected ...”).
cafferi: Caffer + L. -i, suffix indicating the genitive of masculine names and nouns.
Honouring Antonio Caffer (?), Italian assistant to the Royal Zoological Museum
of Torino on board of the Frigatte Regina (1839-1840). Ceratophrys
cafferi Camerano, 1879. In the synonymy of Proceratophrys appendiculata
(Günther, 1873).
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