Hyphantica aethiopica var. intermedia Reichenow, 1886a: 393

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 : 52

Hyphantica aethiopica var. intermedia Reichenow, 1886a: 393 .

Now: Quelea quelea aethiopica Sundeval 1850 . See Amadon et al. (1962: 62).

Syntype: ZMB 23472 (B 14921), skin, male, collected by J.M. Hildebrandt from Taita , 02.1877.

Type locality: “Barawa” [Baraawe, Lower Shabeelle Region, Somalia], Duruma [Duruma country, Kwale County, Kenya], “Ndi in Taita ” [Ndi, Taita-Taveta County, Kenya], also “Gonda” and “Mdaburu” from the original description as well as localities of the syntypes.

Remarks: In the original description no type was chosen, and there were no inventory numbers for specimens provided, but it was mentioned that this form was described based on the collections of Hildebrandt and Fischer from East Africa. Furthermore, it was also mentioned that the species was known from the following localities: “Barawa” (Fischer), Duruma and “Ndi in Taita ” (Hildebrandt), and “Gonda” and “Mdaburu” (Böhm). The ZMB has 13 Quelea quelea aethiopica from the collectors Böhm, Fischer and Hildebrandt that were in the collection before the original description was published, but with only seven of the listed localities. As Reichenow mentioned that he had examined 12 individuals, only ten were of the newly described form. The described variation occurs at the same localities as the “normal” Quelea quelea aethiopica , while the important determining character is seen only in adult males, making it impossible to accurately determine the types. The above listed syntype is marked as a type specimen on the historical label, while additional syntypes could be any of the following: ZMB 23473, ZMB 23474, ZMB 2000.50696, ZMB 2000.50699, ZMB 2000.50712, ZMB 2000.50722, ZMB 2000.50728, ZMB 2000.50735, ZMB 2000.50738, ZMB 2000.50759, ZMB 2000.50737.