Nesomimus adamsi Ridgway

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 : 126

Nesomimus adamsi Ridgway

Nesomimus adamsi Ridgway, 1894: 358 (Chatham Island).

Now Nesomimus trifasciatus melanotis (Gould, 1837) . See Hellmayr, 1934: 335, and Davis and Miller, 1960: 448.

LECTOTYPE: AMNH 504300 , adult male, collected on Isla San Cristóbal (= Chatham Island ), 00°50′S, 89°26′W ( Paynter, 1993: 37), Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, on 13 June 1891, by Dr. G.A. Baur (no. 694). From the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: Ridgway’s description was said to have been based on collections made by Dr. G.A. Baur and C.F. Adams. Rothschild purchased the ‘‘bulk of the collections made by these two gentlemen’’ from Dr. Baur. Ridgway (1894: 358) commented that he had 11 adult specimens from Chatham Island, and Hartert (1920: 478) designated the above specimen, no. 694 of the Baur Collection, the lectotype. Rothschild and Hartert (1899: 144) noted that they had ‘‘the type and three skins from Dr. Baur, as well as some spiritspecimens from the same collector.’’ There are four paralectotypes at AMNH that show no sign of having been in spirits and that are all noted as being from the Baur Collection: AMNH 504301, 501303, 501304, and 504320. In addition, there are three Rothschild specimens, the labels of which have been in spirits, that were collected in June and September 1891, but there is no indication of their provenance. These specimens, AMNH 504302, 504305, and 504319, are perhaps also paralectotypes.

Although the lectotype bears (in addition to the collector’s label, the Rothschild type label, and the AMNH label) a USNM type label on which Unit­ ed States National Museum, Smithsonian, is marked out and Mus. W. Rothschild is written on the reverse, it was never cataloged in USNM. Ridgway noted that the specimen was in Dr. Baur’s collection at the time it was described, and he may have put on the red USNM label before returning it to Dr. Baur, to indicate its status as a type. The Rothschild type label was probably add­ ed when the collection was purchased.

Brewer and MacKay (2001: 226) considered N. melanotis monotypic.