Iole striaticeps Sharpe, 1888

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 : 89

Iole striaticeps Sharpe

Iole striaticeps Sharpe, 1888a: 200 (Palawan).

Now Iole palawanensis (Tweeddale, 1878) . See Dickinson and Gregory, 2002, and Dickinson et al., 2002b: 131.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 565622 , adult female, collected at Taguso , 08°49′N, 117°53′E ( Dickinson et al., 1991: 426), Palawan Island , Philippines, on 1 July 1887, by John Whitehead (no. 1474). From the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: Under Iole striaticeps, Sharpe (1888a: 201) described only the female and gave measurements of only one specimen, but did not designate a type or give any further information. Sharpe (1888a: 201) also listed Criniger (= Iole ) palawanensis as having been collected on Palawan by Whitehead, but did not indicate how many specimens were collected. The only other female, AMNH 565626, collected on 25 July 1887 at Taguso, is identified on the label only as Criniger palawanensis . The description of the female by Sharpe can only apply to AMNH 565622 for it, and not the second female, possesses the ‘‘narrow whitish shaft­streaks to the feathers of the mantle and back’’ and the ‘‘crown of head brown, slightly contrasting with the back, all the feathers with ashy white shaft­streaks’’. It also has the ‘‘upper tail­coverts and tail­feathers light reddish brown, with a slight edging of olive;’’ the other female having the tail considerably darker brown. Further, it has Criniger palawanensis marked out on the front of the label and ‘‘ Type of Iole striaticeps ’’ written on the reverse, presumably by Sharpe. Hartert (1922b: 367) listed this specimen as the type, giving Whitehead’s field number, and he thought it to be only a very worn specimen of Hypsipetes (= Iole ) palawanensis , thus placing Sharpe’s name in synonymy. Other authors have agreed.

A total of five specimens (three males and two females) of these two ‘‘taxa’’ were collected by Whitehead on Palawan, all from Taguso, and all are now identified as Iole palawanensis . The other female cannot be considered a paratype of Iole striaticeps , and the males have no status as types.

Hartert (1922b: 367) mentioned that Whitehead’s specimens originally had only small tags containing a number and sex symbol and that labels were written later in England. Most of these small tags have disappeared.