Myiagra latirostris kempi Mathews

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 : 206-207

Myiagra latirostris kempi Mathews

Myiagra latirostris kempi Mathews, 1912a: 322 (Cape York, North Queensland).

Now Myiagra rubecula rubecula (Latham, 1801) . See below.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 653018 , immature male, collected on Cape York , north Queensland, Australia, on 1 September 1911, by J.P. Rogers (no. 2012). From the Mathews Collection (no. 9805) via the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: When Mathews (1912a: 322) described this taxon, he gave as his catalog number ‘‘9805’’. Opposite this number in his catalog is a specimen listed as ‘‘ Myiagra nitida ’’, male, collected on Cape York on 1 September 1911, obtained from Rogers and cataloged on 27 November 1911. AMNH 653018, listed above, is the only Rothschild specimen of Myiagra from Cape York collected on that date and is the holotype. However, this is not the specimen to which both Mathews and Rothschild type labels are attached. That specimen is AMNH 653366, female, collected at Piara, Cape York, on 20 February 1911 by W.R. McLennan and with type labels bearing Mathews’ number ‘‘17269’’. Opposite this number in Mathews’ catalog is listed a specimen of Myiagra latirostris obtained from Macgillivray, for whom McLennan collected, and cataloged by Mathews on 2 June 1913, after the publication of M. l. kempi . It cannot be the type. Because this specimen bore both Mathews and Rothschild type labels, it has always been considered the type, and comparison of it with other forms of Myiagra that occur on Cape York Peninsula led to M. l. kempi being considered conspecific with Myiagra ruficollis mimikae (see Watson et al., 1986c: 523).

The actual holotype of kempi , however, is a specimen of Myiagra rubecula . It is sexed as a male by Rogers but is in immature plumage. Schodde and Mason (1999: 509– 511) have discussed in detail the problems associated with migrants of rubecula that may be present on Cape York Peninsula in the nonbreeding season; these are only exacerbated by this specimen being immature. Rogers has carefully described the bill of this specimen: ‘‘Bill leaden black, basal K of lower mandible leaden grey, basal K of tomium of upper mandible yellow’’. Measurements are: wing 76.0 mm, tail 66.5, bill from nostril 9.5, bill width at nostril 7.0. It can be matched by female or specimens in female plumage (sex?) from the breeding range of Myiagra rubecula rubecula ; thus, it seems best to equate kempi with nominate rubecula until more information is obtained from breeding birds throughout eastern Australia.

Because AMNH 653366 has always been assumed to be Mathews’ type of Myiagra latirostris kempi , it is retained in the type collection, with an added label to indicate its status. An AMNH type label has been added to AMNH 653018, noting that it is the actual holotype of Myiagra latirostris kempi .