Mirafra javanica nigrescens Mathews

LeCROY, M. A. R. Y., 2003, TYPE SPECIMENS OF BIRDS IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PART 5. PASSERIFORMES: ALAUDIDAE, HIRUNDINIDAE, MOTACILLIDAE, CAMPEPHAGIDAE, PYCNONOTIDAE, IRENIDAE, LANIIDAE, VANGIDAE, BOMBYCILLIDAE, DULIDAE, CINCLIDAE, TROGLODYTIDAE, AND MIMIDAE, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 278 (278), pp. 1-156 : 5-6

Mirafra javanica nigrescens Mathews

Mirafra javanica nigrescens Mathews, 1912a: 426 (Eureka, Northern Territory).

Now Mirafra javanica soderbergi Mathews, 1912 . See Mathews, 1921: 137, and Schodde and Mason, 1999: 715, 717.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 556315 , male, collected at Eureka , Northern Territory, Australia, on 10 January 1903, by John Thomas Tunney. From the Mathews Collection (no. 5194) via the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: The Mathews Collection number is cited in the original description. Mirafra javanica nigrescens is preoccupied by Mirafra nigrescens Reichenow, 1900 . Mathews (1921: 137) proposed Mirafra javanica söderbergi as a replacement name. Rudolf Söderberg was a Swedish (not German) ornithologist who collected in Australia in 1910–1913 ( Whittell, 1954: 675), and according to the Code (ICZN, 1999, Art. 32.5.2.1), diacritical marks should be deleted from non­German words used as names of taxa.

This collection by Tunney was made jointly for WAM and Lord Rothschild ( Hartert, 1905c: 194; Whittell, 1954: 724). Mathews obtained this specimen from WAM, and it later went to Rothschild with his purchase of the Mathews Collection. In addition to the Tunney field label, this specimen has Rothschild and Mathews type labels.

Eureka was placed by Mayr and McEvey at 20–25 miles SW (= SE?) of Darwin. Tunney not­ ed on the label of a Eureka specimen of Neochmia p. phaeton (AMNH 721876) that ‘‘this place is four miles west of Mary R., and about 30 from head waters of South Alligator R.’’ Storr (1977: 108, 112) identified it as a former mine 33 km ENE of Pine Creek at 13°50′S, 131°50′E, which is consistent with Tunney’s note.