Suiriri suiriri burmeisteri, Kirwan, Guy M., Steinheimer, Frank D., Raposo, Marcos A. & Zimmer, Kevin J., 2014

Kirwan, Guy M., Steinheimer, Frank D., Raposo, Marcos A. & Zimmer, Kevin J., 2014, Nomenclatural corrections, neotype designation and new subspecies description in the genus Suiriri (Aves: Passeriformes: Tyrannidae), Zootaxa 3784 (3), pp. 224-240 : 232-234

Suiriri suiriri burmeisteri subsp. nov.

Type locality. Rio das Pedras, São Paulo, Brazil (see below).

Holotype. Natural History Museum, Tring, UK ( BMNH 1888.1.13.640; Figs. 4–6 ), female collected by J. Natterer at Rio das Pedras (cf. Pelzeln 1871: 108), northern São Paulo state, southeast Brazil, on 16 April 1823 (ex. P. L. Sclater collection). Two labels: the larger is inscribed ‘ Elainea affinis, 1868 [sic: acquisition date], ♀, Brazil Rio das Pedras, Natterer’, and on reverse ‘S Paulo’ (in pencil) + specimen no.; the smaller is labelled ‘no 432 Rio das Pedras 16 April 1823 femina’ by Natterer himself in the field, confirmed by Natterer’s own MS slip catalogue held at the bird collection of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (H.-M. Berg in litt., July 2013).

Discussion of type locality. Paynter and Traylor (1991) remarked that this locality is ‘presumably an affluent of [the] Rio Grande [20o06’S, 51o04’W (USBGN)] in northernmost São Paulo, as on 19 Apr. he [Natterer] reached Porto do Rio Paraná [ca. 19o59’S, 47o46’W], which may be present-day União [19o59’S, 47o46’W (USBGN)], on left bank of Rio Grande.’ The same source fixes a location called Nas Lages, São Paulo, near Araraquara [21°05’S, 47°19’W] as Natterer’s whereabouts on 6 April 1823. The data given in Schifter et al. (2007: 235) suggest that Natterer met the Rio das Pedras in April and followed this river until June 1823 when he reached its mouth near the village of São Domingos [ca. 18°32’S, 47°52’W]. This locality is not to be confused with the homonymous Rio das Pedras in São Paulo, Brazil [22°50’34”S, 47°36’21”W] as given, e.g., in Wikipedia. Burmeister (1853: 370) plotted a village ‘Rio das Pedras’ at the homonymous river of the Campos Plateau one and a half leagues from Picarrão [= Ribeirão do Piçarrão, a tributary of upper Rio Paranaíba, 18°43’S, 48°01’W, cf. Paynter and Traylor 1991: 462] in Minas Gerais. Here, however, we follow Vanzolini (1993: 29–30), which we consider the best authority on Natterer’s movements in Brazil. Vanzolini states that the Rio das Pedras is indeed in São Paulo, but more precisely defines it as lying ca. 2o further north and as being a tributary of the Rio do Carmo (20o11’S, 47o56’W). Natterer collected on its left (i.e. west) bank.

Diagnosis. The differences between S. s. burmeisteri , its conspecifics and S. affinis were already effectively elucidated in considerable detail by Zimmer et al. (2001), followed by, inter alia, Fitzpatrick (2004), Lopes (2005) and Ridgely & Tudor (2009), all of them employing the name islerorum in reference to the taxon correctly called S. affinis ( Burmeister, 1856) and using affinis (nec Burmeister) in place of what is here called burmeisteri. In summary, in a field situation, S. s. burmeisteri principally differs from S. affinis in its longer bill, much narrower pale terminal tips to the tail feathers and less contrast between the ocular stripe and chin / throat, as well as in their early-morning displays, with S. s. burmeisteri never lifting its wings above the horizontal during duets by pairs. Their vocalisations also differ dramatically; see the extensive discussion in Zimmer et al. (2001: 64–72). Compared to S. s. bahiae , S. s. burmeisteri has the greyish crown and nape less sharply demarcated from the back, which is darker and less distinctly green than in bahiae , while the breast is less whitish, the rump and uppertailcoverts more contrastingly pale, and the central rectrices broader and not pale-edged. Compared to S. s. suiriri , burmeisteri is distinctly larger overall, with a proportionately shorter, broader tail, the belly, flanks, thighs and posterior underparts are yellow rather than white, and the tail has a broad, contrasting pale tip.

Description of holotype. Forecrown grey, closest to Light Neutral Gray (color #85, Smithe 1975), becoming very marginally darker over crown and nape, closest to Glaucous (color #79). The greyish nape is virtually concolorous (color #45, Smoke Gray) with the back and scapulars. Uppertail coverts and rump contrastingly paler than back, between Pearl Gray (color #81) and Pale Horn (color #92). Ear-coverts slightly paler than hindcrown, and malar region between whitish and Pale Neutral Gray (color #86). Lores dark. A very narrow, pale, supraorbital brow extends to the forehead. Four long rictal bristles on both sides of gape, the longest 7.0 mm. Wings generally dusky, closest to Dark Drab (color #119B), but secondaries narrowly pale-edged (between white and Cream Color, color #54) on outer web. Basal portion of inner web of all remiges broadly pale-edged, between Pale Horn (color #92) and Drab-Gray (color #119D). Greater and median secondary coverts broadly tipped Drab-Gray (#119D), forming two distinct wingbars. Axillaries and underwing linings pale Straw Yellow (color #56). Chin and throat greyish white, grading posteriorally and laterally into Pale Neutral Gray (color #86) over centre and sides of breast with very pale Sulphur Yellow (color #57) or Straw Yellow (color #56) belly, flanks, thighs, and undertail coverts. Most of exposed dorsal surface of tail dark, between Fuscous (color #21) and Vandyke Brown (color #121). Small pale tips to rectrices between Drab (color #27) and Dark Drab (color #119B); the paler tip up to 3.5 mm in length. Base of rectrices contrastingly pale, closest to Cream (color #54). Underside of tail entirely dark except for contrastingly pale narrow outer web of outer rectrix on each side, pale shaft to outer rectrices and very narrow pale tip to all rectrices present. Soft-part colours from Natterer’s slip catalogue (H.-M. Berg in litt., July 2013): iris brown, bill greyish black, feet blackish grey.

Measurements of holotype. These were taken according to the same parameters as used in Zimmer et al. (2001): a wing rule with perpendicular stop at zero to measure flattened wing chord (wing, cf. Eck et al. 2011: p. 78, Wmax), tail length (tail, p. 87, T1), breadth of the pale terminal tip to the rectrices (pale tip) and width of the central rectrix (central rectrix), and dial callipers to measure culmen length from the distal end of the nostrils to the tip (culmen, p. 67, BNdist) and bill width at the distal end of the nostrils (bill width, p. 70, BWd). Wing 82 mm, tail 64 mm, pale tip 2 mm, central rectrix 9 mm, culmen 11.65 mm and bill width 5.15 mm.

Geographic distribution. Principally the eastern half of Brazil, from western Pará and Amapá, Maranhão and western Piauí south to Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná, with small extensions of the range into northern Bolivia (Beni) and southern Surinam. See also range mapped for S. s. affinis in Fig. 2 of Zimmer et al. (2001) and for the same taxon’s name in other works, e.g. Fitzpatrick (2004) and Ridgely and Tudor (2009).

Specimens examined. Those measured (all by GMK) are as follows. Suiriri s. burmeisteri : Brazil, Goiás, one male (ZMB 27671); Minas Gerais, one male and one female (BMNH 1888.1.13.639, MNRJ 22951); Pará, one male (ZMB 544); Paraná, one female (MNRJ 37043); Surinam, Sipalwini Savanna, one male and two females (RMNH 72485, 68788–89). S. affinis : Brazil, Minas Gerais, one male, one female, one unsexed specimen (MNRJ 22031, MNRJ 23309, ZMB 27672). Additional specimens in these same museums and at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, were examined but not measured, as were photographs of the following specimens (all from Minas Gerais) of Suiriri s. burmeisteri (one male, ZMUC 80262) and S. affinis (two males and one female, ZMUC 80261, ZMUC 80263 and ZMUC 80264). In addition, KJZ examined an extensive range of specimens that elucidated the differences between the two species as part of his work towards Zimmer et al. (2001).

Variation. The specimen (ZMB 544) from Pará (Serra de Ereré, 0 1o 59’S, 54o10’W) has brighter, deeper and more extensive yellow on the underparts, while the throat and lower face are whiter, less grey; the upperparts including the head are generally slightly paler and greyer, with more olive elements on the mantle and back, while the rump and uppertail-coverts are much paler, creamier and inclining to yellow on the upper half of the rump. The pale fringes to the wing-coverts are marginally less obvious. Those from the Sipalwini in southern Surinam share many of these same characters, especially the pale and greyer upperparts and head.

Etymology. We take the opportunity to name this taxon for Karl Hermann Konrad Burmeister (1807–92), Professor of Zoology and Director of the Zoological University Museum of Halle ( Germany), latterly (post 1861) Director of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although primarily an entomologist, herpetologist and palaeontologist, he also collected birds in Argentina (1857–60) and Brazil (1850–52) and, despite a comparatively brief stay in the latter country, authored what Sick (1993) described as ‘a very well written didactic work’, his compendium of the animals of Brazil (1854–56).

Unavailable names.— Muscicapa jocosa and Muscicapa theiogaster

Figures

FIGURE 2. Burmeister’s type series of Suiriri affinis, collected at Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil, in 1851; held at the Martin-Luther-University at Halle (Saale), Germany (specimen numbers (a) IZH-V 12 and (b) IZH-V 6967) (© Martin- Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg).

FIGURES 4 – 6. Type specimen of Suiriri suiriri burmeisteri, collected by J. Natterer at Rio das Pedras, São Paulo, southeast Brazil, on 16 April 1823; held at the Natural History Museum, Tring, UK (BMNH 1888.1.13.640) (Hein van Grouw / © Natural History Museum, Tring).