Latin translation for Thecla

[Chris J. Durden]

  A quick search shows a Thecla of Iconium (in Eastern Phrygia, now in
Anatolia) who was a disciple of St. Paul at the time of Nero (54-68 CE).
She was reputed to be of great beauty, escaped flames and circus beasts to
be canonized. The story is told in "Acts of Paul and Thecla", an apocryphal
text. The next famous Thecla was wife of Michael II (the stammerer) Emperor
of Byzantium (820-829 CE). I find no reference to any  Thecla in Greek
references.
  18th & 19th Century taxonomists used classical and ancient historical
names as sources for new species names, just as we now use names of
statesmen and rock stars.
  The choice of the name Thecla for boreal hairstreaks seems to have been
arbitrary.
...........Chris Durden

At 04:28  5/06/99 GMT, you wrote:
>Can anyone tell me what "thecla" means in Latin? Or in essence why the
>Hair-Streaks were given this as a genus name?
>
>TIA.
>Robert Borski
>rborski at coredcs.com
>
>