Molpastes leucogenys picru Koelz

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 : 79

Molpastes leucogenys picru Koelz

Molpastes leucogenys picru Koelz, 1954: 11 (Laghman, Afghanistan).

Now Pycnonotus leucogenys leucogenys (J. E. Gray, 1835) . See Dickinson and Dekker, 2002b: 97–98, and Dickinson et al., 2002b: 121.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 465709 bis, adult male, collected at Laghman, 34°40′N, 70°13′E (Times Atlas), Afghanistan, on 25 May 1937, by Walter Koelz.

COMMENTS: In his original description, Koelz (1954: 11) gave measurements for 13 males of picru from Afghanistan and Kashmir without identifying the specimens individually ; furthermore, the measurements did not include the wing measurement of 98 mm given for the type from Laghman. AMNH received three males collected by Koelz at Laghman on 25 May 1937. The above specimen has a wing measurement of 98 mm and has ‘‘type’’ written on the label by Koelz. Paratypes at AMNH are AMNH 465711 , wing 96 mm, and AMNH 465712 , wing 94 mm .

This holotype had apparently been segregated and was missed when the other specimens were cataloged at AMNH. Charles Vaurie cataloged it with a ‘‘bis’’ number. This perhaps also explains why the wing measurement was not included with the others. Sibley and Monroe (1990: 584) placed P.leucogenys in the superspecies cafer .