Ptilopus lewisii Ramsay, 1882

McAllan, Ian A. W., 2016, On Some Types of Birds (Aves) from the Solomon Islands Named by Edward Pierson Ramsay, Records of the Australian Museum 68 (1), pp. 31-43 : 35-37

Ptilopus lewisii Ramsay, 1882 , Nature 25: 282.

[= Ptilinopus viridis lewisii (Ramsay, 1882) ]

Australian Museum. Two syntypes: A.3924, A.11558.

A.3924, does not have an original label. The register lists “ Ptilopus viridis var. probably new species, Guadalcanar, Solomon Islds, Captain Brodie and Cockerell”.

A.11558, the oldest label notes that it is “ Ptilopus lewisi, Hab. Ugi Isld , sex female” and the register notes that it was collected by Alex Morton on Ugi and is a type. The locality of Ugi is incorrect for this species, and obviously is in error, even though this specimen was registered with other specimens of Ptilinopus eugeniae from Ugi .

Part of the confusion may result from Ramsay referring to specimens of “ Ptilopus eugeniae ” being collected at Ugi in his description of P. lewisi in the Proceedings (1882d), however this was only in the context of pointing out that P. eugeniae was not the same as P. lewisi . Ramsay (1882f) noted that P. lewisi was represented in Cockerell’s collections. Furthermore, when Ramsay described the taxon, he specifically noted that it was included amongst Cockerell’s specimens referred to in the first 1879 Proceedings paper ( Ramsay, 1879b, 1882c). Ramsay (1882d) later restricted the type locality of the taxon as “Florida and Malayta”, two islands that Cockerell did not visit. Ramsay’s diaries list the specimens brought back from the Solomon Islands in mid-1881 by the Australian Museum collector, Alex Morton (Mitchell Library ML.MSS 2278 Add on 544). Included in this listing are specimens of “ Ptilopus sp nov (viridis) Florida & Malatta”. These specimens were evidently some of those used to describe Ptilopus lewisii , and the source of the locality given in Ramsay’s paper. As there were at least two specimens collected by Morton there is evidently a type specimen missing.

Macleay Museum. One syntype: B.2094.

Labelled as “ Ptilinopus lewisi, Rams. Male. Solomon Is.” by Masters. This specimen is of a typical Cockerell make and was overlooked as a type by Stanbury (1969).

Two specimens from Alex Morton’s series of “ Ptilinopus eugeniae ” from Ugi were sent to Salvadori in 1883. One of these specimens is now in the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino. The specimen, A.11549 (now = 6221) has a white head and is thus definitely a Ptilinopus eugeniae and is not a type (pers. obs., 1 September 1994; confirmed by C. Pulcher in litt., 1 July 2003). Salvadori sent the other specimen to Doria in Genova. Specimen A.11552 (now = CE 22541) is still in the collections of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “Giacomo Doria”, but is also not a type of P. lewisi (pers. obs., 30 August 1994; confirmed by E. Borgo in litt., 18 September 2003).

Baza gurneyi Ramsay, 1882 , Journal of the Linnean Society (London) 16: 130.

[= Aviceda subcristata gurneyi (Ramsay, 1882) ]

Australian Museum. Lectotype: A.10962.

The specimen lacks an original label. The register lists the specimen as coming from Ugi and being bought from “J. Stephens party”. Longmore (1991) selected this specimen as the lectotype. This taxon was described by Ramsay from specimens collected at Ugi by Reverend George Brown, and at Cape Pitt by Cockerell ( Ramsay, 1882b). On this basis there could be some doubt as the selection of the lectotype. Nevertheless, it appears Ramsay made an error with the collector of the Ugi specimens. His diary records a small collection received from Brown in mid-1881 (Ramsay diaries, Mitchell Library ML.MSS 2278 Add on 544). This collection includes specimens from Ugi, but there are no birds of prey amongst them and so it appears the specimen from Ugi came from another source. Although it seems that Longmore’s selection of the lectotype was correct, the specimens he considered paralectotypes cannot have that status. Five of those in the Australian Museum; A.11486, A.11487, A.11489, A.11490, and A.11491, lack original tags. The register notes that these specimens were collected by Alex Morton at Ugi and were registered in December 1881. It is clear from the paper in which Baza gurneyi was named that Alex Morton was still collecting for Ramsay in the Solomon Islands at the time the paper was sent to London, so none of these specimens can be types ( Ramsay, 1882b). This also is the case for Queensland Museum specimen O.17872, previously A. 11488 in the Australian Museum collection, which was exchanged with the Queensland Museum in June 1883 (H. Janetzki, in litt.). This specimen was referred to by Longmore (1991) though no details were given. In addition Australian Museum specimen O.22343, collected by Cockerell, was claimed by Longmore (1991) to be a type, but it is from New Britain and is not part of the type series (see also below).

Macleay Museum. One paralectotype: B.2937.

Labelled as “ Baza ? Reinwardti, Solomon Islands ” in Masters’ hand, this specimen is of a typical Cockerell make. Ramsay (1879b) noted that there was a single specimen in Cockerell’s collection from the Solomon Islands from “Cape Pitt”, in the New Georgia group, which at the time he considered indistinguishable from specimens from Port Moresby in New Guinea. Mayr (1945b) pointed out that birds from New Georgia were similar to an undescribed taxon from the Bougainville and Shortland groups, which he named proxima. Mayr considered that Ramsay had been in error in associating Cape Pitt birds with gurneyi as Mayr considered they were found from Guadalcanal eastwards (a view still held in Mayr & Diamond, 2001). Nevertheless, Schodde (1977) disagreed with Mayr’s assessment and considered there was only one subspecies found in the Solomon Islands, Aviceda subcristata gurneyi . In Schodde’s view then, although the type locality was restricted to Ugi by Mayr (1945b), the bird collected by Cockerell at Cape Pitt was the subspecies gurneyi . Ferguson-Lees et al. (2001) followed Mayr in recognition of proxima, though Dickinson (2003), Dutson (2011) and Dickinson & Christidis (2014) followed Schodde (1977). Longmore (1991) solved the problem of the type locality by selecting the lectotype from Ugi. He identified a specimen of Aviceda subcristata collected by Cockerell on New Britain as being the specimen from Cape Pitt. However, Ramsay does not state that Cockerell’s Cape Pitt specimen was actually in his possession when he described the taxon. Given that B.2937 was collected by Cockerell in the Solomons, and that only one specimen was said by Ramsay (1879b) to be in Cockerell’s collection from these islands, the Australian Museum specimen from New Britain cannot have any type status. The Macleay Museum specimen was overlooked as a type by Stanbury (1969) and Longmore (1991).

Astur pulchellus Ramsay, 1882 , Journal of the Linnean Society (London) 16: 131.

[= Accipiter hiogaster pulchellus (Ramsay, 1882) ]

Australian Museum. Holotype: A.3813.

This specimen lacks an original label and was originally registered under the name “ Astur soloensis ” though this entry was replaced with “ A. pulchellus ” in the register. The register lists it as the type specimen and as a male from “Guadalcanar”, bought from “Capt Brodie & Cockerell”. Salvadori (1880) suggested that Ramsay’s use of Astur soloensis in his first 1879 Proceedings paper was incorrect. This may have prompted Ramsay to re-examine the specimen. Note that Schodde (1977) and Ferguson-Lees et al. (2001) considered pulchellus to be part of the Accipiter hiogaster species complex.

Cinnyris melanocephalus Ramsay, 1879 , Nature 20: 125, (5 June 1879) and

Cinnyris (?) dubius Ramsay, 1879 , Proceedings 4: 83–84, (16 June 1879).

[= Myzomela melanocephala (Ramsay, 1879) ]

This species was named by Ramsay in his first paper that used Cockerell’s collections, at a time where he had viewed the entire collection. Any specimens of this taxon that can be identified as collected by Cockerell are thus types.

Australian Museum. Five syntypes: O.18738, O.18739, A.3918, A.3919, A.3920, as recorded by Longmore (1991). O.18738, ex Dobroyde collection, registered 1912. Labelled as a type of “ Cinnyris dubius ” and a male. O.18739, ex Dobroyde collection, registered 1912. Labelled as a type of “ Cinnyris dubius ” and a probable female. A.3918, A.3919 and A.3920 do not have original labels. The register notes that all three are types of “ Cinnyris melanocephalus ” and were collected by “Capt. Brodie & Cockerell”.

Museum Victoria. Three syntypes: B.19563, B.19564, B.19565. All three are labelled on another tag: Cockerell’s Solomon Isds Coll.; Jan.23/79. The specimens have the following details on the strip wrapping: B.19563, Solomon Isl. , Oct 78, male; B.19564, Solomon Isl. , Oct 78, female; B.19565, Solomon Isl. , Oct 77 [sic, lapsus for 78], female .

Macleay Museum. Two syntypes: B.2849; B.2850. Both are labelled “ Cinnyris melanocephala, Ramsay. Solomon Is.” by Masters. These specimens are both of a typical Cockerell make and were overlooked as types by Stanbury (1969).