Elster
"Plectorhinchus pica" was first formally described as "Diagramma pica" in 1828 by the French zoologist George’s Cuvier with no type locality being given, although Tahiti and the Indian Ocean have been suggested. The specific name Cuvier gave this taxon "pica" means "magpie", as in the Eurasian magpie ("Pica pica"), a reference to the black and white coloration of the juveniles. It has been suggested that the use of the specific name "picus" is an error as the word "pica" is a noun, not an adjective and should not change gender to match that of the new genus name. In fact, Cuvier used the French word for magpie "pie" when he described this species and used “"Le Diagramme Pie"” to refer to his "Diagramms pica".