Saxicola eurymelaena Hemprich & Ehrenberg

Mlíkovský, Jiří & Frahnert, Sylke, 2011, Type specimens and type localities of birds collected during the Hemprich and Ehrenberg expedition to Lebanon in 1824, Zootaxa 2990, pp. 1-29 : 8-9

Saxicola eurymelaena Hemprich & Ehrenberg

Saxicola eurymelaena Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833: 54 .

Now. Oenanthe hispanica melanoleuca (Güldenstädt, 1775) . See Hartert (1910: 687).

Type series. “Specimina 9 adsunt, syriaca omnia” ( Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1833). These nine specimens (of which both males and females were described) thus form the type series of Saxicola eurymelaena . No specimens were listed under this name by Lichtenstein (1825, 1854) or in the Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB, but two specimens in ZMB are still labeled as Saxicola eurymelaena ( ZMB 4757, 4758). Both of these specimens (adult males from “Beirut”) are registered in the Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB as “ Saxicola albicilla v. Müll.” [= von Müller 1851: 28]. This indicates that Lichtenstein listed Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s eurymelaena as albicilla , although the latter name, created by Müller and C. L. Brehm (in C. L. Brehm 1851: 28) is younger than that created by Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1833). Overall, five Saxicola albicilla were listed in the Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB with appropriate localities. Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s (1833) description of the male fits that of black-throated males of the Black-eared Wheatear. Their description of females is unclear, and they did not mention any juveniles. Dresser and Blanford (1874: 340) found three specimens attributed to S. eurymelaena in ZMB in 1873, but did not specify their sex or age. We thus consider only the two adult males as certain syntypes of S. eurymelaena , but we list below all specimens registered in the Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB as Saxicola albicilla from appropriate localities.

Syntype. ZMB 4757, skin, 3, collected on an unknown date [= 5–24 July 1824] at “Beirut” (label) [= Beirut, Lebanon]. Identified as Saxicola eurymelaena (label) or Saxicola albicilla v. Müll. (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB).

Syntype. ZMB 4758, skin, 3, collected on an unknown date [= 5–24 July 1824] at “Beirut” (label) [= Beirut, Lebanon]. Identified as Saxicola eurymelaena (label) or Saxicola albicilla v. Müll. (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB).

Syntype (?): ZMB 4764, skin, juv. 3 (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) or juv. Ƥ (label), collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Syrien ” [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype (?): ZMB 14869, mount, juv., collected in “ Syrien ” (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype (?): ZMB 14870, skin, juv. Ƥ, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Syrien ” (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) [= northern Lebanon].

Type locality. The type locality of Saxicola eurymelaena was “ Syria ” according to Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1833). Knowing their itinerary, we here correct the type locality to northern Lebanon between Beirut, Baalbek and Tripoli.

Remarks. Although the taxonomic identity of lost syntypes is unknown, there is no evidence that they belonged to a different taxon than the surviving specimens. Hence, lectotypification is unnecessary. The surviving syntypes are males of the black-throated color-morph of the Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica melanoleuca (Güldenstädt, 1775) .