Dendromus nubicus Var.

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 : 21-22

Dendromus nubicus Var. pallida Reichenow, 1902a: 179.

Now: Campethera nubica pallida (Reichenow, 1902) ; but see also Peters (1948: 117).

Syntype: ZMB 2002.473 , skin, female, collected at Baraawe, 11.[1881] .

Syntype: ZMB 50.41 , skin, female, collected by Emin Pasha at Mpapua, [11.06.1890] .

Type locality: Mpapua [Mpapua, Dodoma Region, Tanzania] and “Barawa” [Baraawe, Lower Shabeelle Region, Somalia], from the original description and localities of the syntypes.

Remarks: In the original description no type was chosen, nor were there inventory numbers for specimens, but measurements for more than one specimen and the localities “Mpapua” and “Barawa” were given. As the above-listed specimens are the only ones with these data at the ZMB, both are regarded as syntypes. ZMB 2002.473 was collected for Fischer ( Fischer 1885a). Sharpe (1902) gave the name Dendromus pallidus for the same taxonomic entity. The name is often wrongly attributed to Sharpe (1902). However, as Sharpe’s article was published in Oct 1902 while Reichenow’s was published in Jun 1902, we regard Dendromus pallidus Sharpe, 1902 as a junior homonym of Dendromus nubicus Var. pallida Reichenow, 1902a.

A specimen from Mpapua in the Dodoma Region of north-central Tanzania collected by Emin Pasha clearly belongs to Campethera nubica pallida but was collected well inland from its supposed range (despite no obvious mistake in the documentation of the locality). Therefore, it throws into question the validity of all coastal birds that have long been treated as pallida. Similarly, the Mpapua specimen comes from within the known range of nominate nubica , so is also close to(if not within)the area occupied by birds referred to as Campethera scriptoricauda (Reichenow) . As such it may be prudent to consider treating nubica as monospecific, with further fieldwork required on all Campethera woodpeckers in that area of north-central and eastern Tanzania.