Cotyle rufigula G.A. Fischer & Reichenow, 1884a: 53

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 : 36

Cotyle rufigula G.A. Fischer & Reichenow, 1884a: 53 .

Now: Ptyonoprogne rufigula rufigula (G.A. Fischer & Reichenow, 1884) . Nec Cotyle fuligula (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1842) ; see Mayr & Greenway (1960: 104) and remarks below.

Holotype: ZMH 6906 (Fischer no. 860), skin, former mount, male, collected at “Naiwascha (Massai)(1500–200 Meter Höhe)”, 12.06.[18]83.

Type locality: “ Naiwascha (Massai) (1500–200 Meter Höhe)” [near Lake Naivasha (elevation 1500–2000m), Nakuru County, Kenya], from the original description as well as locality of the holotype .

Remarks: In the original description no type was chosen nor were inventory numbers for specimens provided, but measurements for one specimen and the locality “Naiwascha See ” were given. Fischer (1884) listed one specimen (no. 860) for this species, so ZMH 6906 is the holotype. The specimen was also mentioned as the type in Bolau (1898).

Fischer & Reichenow (1884a) clearly described the differences of the newly described species from Cotyle fuligula (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1842) . The species was formerly placed in Hirundo and treated as H. fuligula fusciventris by White (1961: 62), ( rufigula being preoccupied by Hirundo rufigula Bocage, 1878 ), but when placed in Ptyonoprogne the name rufigula is no longer preoccupied, and Ptyonoprogne fuligula rufigula is used by many authorities including Mayr & Greenway (1960) and Dickinson & Christidis (2014). Meanwhile del Hoyo & Collar (2016) split the African Rock Martin into two species: the tropical African P. rufigula (Red-throated Rock Martin) and the southern African P. fuligula (Large Rock Martin) .

It is impossible to say where at Naivasha the holotype was collected; as being a bird of cliffs and gorges it would have been unlikely to be found near the lake itself. It is far more likely that it would have been collected close to Hell’s Gate National Park (towards Mount Suswa ) where it is locally abundant, also on 12 June 1883 Fischer was retreating from the Masai and was south of the lake at approximately 1°05’S, 36°21’E (see Fischer 1885b, c) .