Teretistris fornsi Gundlach

Teretistris fornsi Gundlach, 1858: 274 (eastern part of the island [Cuba]).

Now Teretistris fornsi fornsi Gundlach, 1858 . See Hellmayr, 1935: 424; Garrido, 2000; Dickinson, 2003: 764; and Curson, 2010b: 777.

SYNTYPE: AMNH 40019, adult male, collected on eastern Cuba, in 1857, by J. Gundlach. From the George N. Lawrence Collection.

COMMENTS: In the original description, Gundlach did not indicate how many specimens he had, only saying that plumage did not vary with age or sex. In the short article following Gundlach’s, Lawrence (1858: 275– 277) noted that Gundlach had sent him specimens of the birds described in the preceeding pages. Although not specifically mentioned, the above specimen probably came into Lawrence’s hand at this time. The AMNH label on this syntype bears a note by L.L. S[hort] indicating that it might be a holotype or syntype of fornsi, but it had lain unnoticed in the AMNH collection until it was recognized by Garrido (2000: 89). The other syntype was in Gundlach’s private collection and subsequently deposited in the IES, Havana (Roman and Garrido, 2000: 2). Because he thought further study was required, Curson (2010b: 777) did not recognize T. f. turquinensis Garrido, 2000, and thus treated T. fornsi as monotypic.