Tregellasia leucops wahgiensis Mayr and Gilliard

LeCroy, M., 2008, Type Specimens Of Birds In The American Museum Of Natural History. Part 7. Passeriformes: Sylviidae, Muscicapidae, Platysteiridae, Maluridae, Acanthizidae, Monarchidae, Rhipiduridae, And Petroicidae, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 313 (1), pp. 1-287 : 251

Tregellasia leucops wahgiensis Mayr and Gilliard

Tregellasia leucops wahgiensis Mayr and Gilliard, 1952: 2 (base of Mt. Orata (behind Kup), Kubor Mountains, Mandated Territory of New Guinea).

Now Tregellasia leucops wahgiensis Mayr and Gilliard, 1952 . See Coates, 1990: 194–196.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 348399 , subadult male, collected at the base of Mount Orata (behind Kup), ca. 6000 ft, Kubor Mountains, Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea, on 24 May 1950, by E. Thomas Gillard.

COMMENTS: The AMNH number of the holotype was given in the original description, and the range of this new subspecies was said to be central (three specimens collected by Gilliard in 1950) and eastern New Guinea to a line between Holnicote Bay on the north and Redscar Bay on the south. However, populations westward (not eastward [ Mayr and Gilliard, 1952: 4]) of this line, while showing a prevalence of white-fronted birds, are discussed as mixed populations with influence from black-fronted albifacies and more black on the bill. I do not consider these populations to be part of the type series ( ICZN, 1999: 76, Art. 72.4.1). Furthermore, it seems to me that in many cases whether or not a specimen is considered black-fronted may depend on the ‘‘make’’ of the skin and that the populations of central east montane New Guinea are more mixed than indicated by Mayr and Gilliard. The two paratypes are: AMNH 705300 , subadult female, near Nondugl, 5200 ft, Wahgi Valley, 15 May 1950 ; and AMNH 705301 , adult female, Mt. O-mar, Kubor Mountains , 6000 ft, 15 May 1950 .

Mayr and Gilliard (1954) reported on both Gilliard’s 1950 and 1952 expeditions to central New Guinea, but only the 1950 expedition specimens were included in the description of wahgiensis.

Kup is at 05.55S, 144.50E ( Papua New Guinea, 1984).