Luscinia sinuata Sundevall, 1857 (1858)

Dean, W. Richard J., Åhlander, Erik & Johansson, Ulf S., 2022, Avian type localities and the type specimens collected by Johan August Wahlberg in southern Africa, Zootaxa 5134 (4), pp. 521-560 : 554-555

Luscinia sinuata Sundevall, 1857 (1858) : 44.

VERBATIM TYPE LOCALITY: “ circa urbem capensem invenitur ”

CURRENT STATUS: Emarginata sinuata sinuata (Sundevall, 1858) ; Muscicapidae ( Dickinson & Christidis 2014: 609) .

TYPE MATERIAL: There is no indication in Sundevall’s (1857: 44 footnote) brief description that more than one specimen was available. Following his acquisition catalogue, four specimens [6680–6683] were initially identified as Sylvia / Luscinia sperata , the last one, a “pull.”, with a question mark (which disqualifies it as a type; Art. 72.4.1 of the Code). Gyldenstolpe (1926: 55) referred to NRM 569712 [6682] as a “type”; which we treat as a lectotype designation of this adult male collected 25 January 1845 near Saldanha Bay. The two paralectotypes are: NRM 555379 [6683], a male (or juvenile) [6681] collected 1 February 1840 (or possibly 25 January 1845) near Camperdown; and a study skin of a male [6680] collected 9 January 1840 also near Camperdown. Both paralectotypes seem to have been present in the collection at least until the 1910s, but study skin 6680 could not be found in the NRM collection in 2021.

VERIFIED TYPE LOCALITY: Saldanha Bay , Western Cape Province .

COMMENTS: Date and place match journal entries. Wahlberg collected a number of specimens in January and February 1845 at Saldanha Bay.