Drepanorhynchus Reichenowi G.A. Fischer, 1884

Frahnert, Sylke, Turner, Donald A. & Bracker, Cordula, 2023, Type specimens and type localities of birds (Aves) collected by Gustav Adolf Fischer (1848 - 1886) in East Africa, Zootaxa 5334 (1), pp. 1-84 : 46

Drepanorhynchus Reichenowi G.A. Fischer, 1884 (in Fischer & Reichenow 1884a): 56.

Now: Drepanorhynchus reichenowi reichenowi G.A. Fischer, 1884 . See Greenway et al. (1967: 270).

Holotype: ZMH 6903 [Fischer no. 861], skin, former mount, male, collected at “Naiwascha”, 12.06.[1883].

Paratype (missing): ZMB 27397 [B 18648, Fischer no. 853], male, juvenile, collected at “Naiwascha”, 11.06.[18]83 .

Type locality: “ Naiwascha-See (Massai)” [south of Lake Naivasha , Nakuru County, Kenya], from the original description as well as locality of the holotype (see comment below) .

Remarks: In the original description no type was chosen, and there were no inventory numbers for specimens provided, but measurements for one specimen and the locality “Naiwascha” were given. Fischer (1884) listed two males collected at the same locality and on the same date, one (no. 853) a juvenile. He gave the same description as in Fischer & Reichenow (1884a) for the “Typus”, which refers to the adult specimen no. 861. For the juvenile no. 853, Fischer (1884) described the coloration in detail, but this is distinctly different to that given in the species description. Therefore ZMH 6903 (also mentioned as type specimen for this species in Bolau 1898) is regarded as the holotype for this species and ZMB 27397 as a paratype. ZMB 27397 was itself inventoried with the note “ex originale” at the ZMB in March 1884 and was mounted. In the catalogue is a note that it was missing in the 1950s, suggesting it was among those destroyed during World War II.

Fischer (1884) wrote “Die meisten der erlegten Exemplare befanden sich in der Mauser” [Most of the collected specimens were in moult], however the whereabouts of those specimens are unknown. At Naivasha Fischer camped close to the Morendat River (around 0°45’S, 36°25’E) for some time, and at this time of the year this sunbird is common in the Rift Valley feeding on flowers.

However on the collection dates of 11–12 June 1883, Fischer was closer to Mount Suswa than to Lake Naivasha. He passed through what is now Hell’s Gate National Park to the Mount Suswa side and then south to the Nguruman Escarpment area (see Fischer 1885b, c), thus making the collection area approximately 01°10’S, 36°20’E .