Sylvia sylvestris Meisner

LeCroy, M., 2008, Type Specimens Of Birds In The American Museum Of Natural History. Part 7. Passeriformes: Sylviidae, Muscicapidae, Platysteiridae, Maluridae, Acanthizidae, Monarchidae, Rhipiduridae, And Petroicidae, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 313 (1), pp. 1-287 : 59

Sylvia sylvestris Meisner

Sylvia sylvestris Meisner, 1824: 172 (Bern).

Now Phylloscopus collybita collybita (Vieillot, 1817) . See Hartert, 1918a: 29, and del Hoyo et al., 2006: 649–650.

Syntype: AMNH 455172, adult male, collected at Bern, 46.57N, 07.26E (Times Atlas), Switzerland, by F. Meisner. From the Brehm Collection via the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: In Meisner’s original description the number of specimens was not indicated and no type was designated; however, both male and female were described. Hartert (1918a: 29) considered this specimen to be one of Meisner’s typical specimens and quoted Brehm’s label note: ‘‘ Phyllopneuste sylvestris Meisner , von ihm selbst gesandt, s vere, Bern’’. Hartert also noted on the reverse of the Rothschild label ‘‘Eine Typen von Sylvia sylvestris Meisner !!’’. It seems likely that this is correct, even though this specimen is not dated and Brehm, as was usual, had removed any previous label the specimen may have had. Previously, Hartert (1907e: 501) had listed some of Meisner’s types as being in Bremen, and other syntypes may be there.

This specimen was previously mounted and has glass eyes. The bill is entirely missing. It bears a Rothschild type label.