Amblyornis subalaris germanus Rothschild

Amblyornis subalaris germanus Rothschild, 1910a: 13 (Rawlinson Mountains, German New Guinea).

Now Amblyornis germana Rothschild, 1910 . See Hartert, 1928: 190; Mayr, 1941: 184; Gilliard, 1969: 300–311; Coates, 1990: 392–397; Coates and Peckover, 2001: 209; Dickinson, 2003: 427; and Frith and Frith, 2004: 275–278; 2009a: 394– 395.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 679570, [adult female], collected in the Rawlinson Mountains, 06.32S, 147.17E (Frith and Beehler, 1998: 570), Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (once part of German New Guinea), undated, obtained from Professor F. Foerster. From the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: When Rothschild described this form, he had the single complete specimen in female plumage, which he designated as the type, and mentioned that he also had the crest only of a male. The paratype is AMNH 679571, crest of male obtained ‘‘From natives.’’ A complete male specimen was obtained only after the publication of germana .

Coates and Peckover (2001: 209) suggest- ed, based on its shorter crest and very distinctive bower, that this form should perhaps be given species status and, having seen the bower myself, I agree.