Alauda conirostris Sundevall, 1850: 99

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 : 542

Alauda conirostris Sundevall, 1850: 99 .

VERBATIM TYPE LOCALITY: “ In Caffraria superiore, campestri.”

CURRENT STATUS: Spizocorys conirostris conirostris ( Sundevall, 1850) ; Alaudidae ( Dickinson & Christidis 2014: 445) (includes transiens Clancey, 1959, and implicitly griseovinacea Clancey, 1972).

TYPE MATERIAL: Sundevall, in his description (1850: 99), mentions male and female (“ superne rufescentivarius,alias similis feminae.”).According to Sundevall’s acquisition catalogue the type series consisted of five specimens. Gyldenstolpe (1926: 22) referred to NRM 569767 [6446] as a “type”, which we treat as a lectotype designation of this adult male collected 16 May 1842 at Vegkop (Vechtkop). The four paralectotypes are: NRM 537993 [6447], a mounted female collected 26 October 1841 at Wilgespruit; a male collected 2 May 1842 in “Caffr. Rhinost.” (= Renoster River), exchanged to Berlin in 1853 (not found in the ZMB collection); RMNH. AVES.121822 [6448], a male collected 16 May 1842 north of “Drakensbergen” (date same as lectotype, so same locality), exchanged to Leiden in 1850; a female collected 28 Oct (no year given, but probably 1844), collected in “Caffr. Makli.” (if 1844, then locality near Vals River), exchanged to R.B. Sharpe in London in 1871, but not found in the NHMUK collection at Tring .

VERIFIED TYPE LOCALITY: Vegkop (Vechtkop), Free State .

COMMENTS: The type locality in the original description is vague. There are no notes for 15 and 16 May 1842 in Wahlberg’s journal. On 13 and 14 May he passed Vegkop and by 21 May was descending the Drakensberg, but there are no place names given between Vegkop and the Drakensberg. Gyldenstolpe’s (1934) restriction of the TL to Vegkop is reasonable and should stand.