What does "Hallaxa" mean?
I saw a tweet asking what Hallaxa even means, and someone went and dug it up properly.
Three-line summary:
- Bergh erected the genus Halla in 1877.
- Halla was a preoccupied name, so Eliot in 1909 changed it by adding "xa" — making it Hallaxa.
- xa in Latin reportedly carries a sense of "already" — hence Halla → Hallaxa?
https://twitter.com/Dendrodoris/status/1647195173862899714
For reference, the Japanese vernacular as coined in Opisthobranchia of Sagami Bay was harakkusa (with the geminate "kk").
But that vernacular sits on top of an ambiguity: Halla could be read "hara" or "hal-la" xa would be read "kusa" …so the more accurate Japanese reading might be harakusa (or arguably hallakusa).
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