Coracina graueri Neumann, 1908

LeCROY, M. A. R. Y., 2003, TYPE SPECIMENS OF BIRDS IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PART 5. PASSERIFORMES: ALAUDIDAE, HIRUNDINIDAE, MOTACILLIDAE, CAMPEPHAGIDAE, PYCNONOTIDAE, IRENIDAE, LANIIDAE, VANGIDAE, BOMBYCILLIDAE, DULIDAE, CINCLIDAE, TROGLODYTIDAE, AND MIMIDAE, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 278 (278), pp. 1-156 : 65

Coracina graueri Neumann

Coracina graueri Neumann, 1908c: 11 (90 km west of Lake Albert Edward).

Now Coracina graueri Neumann, 1908 . See Keith et al., 1992: 277.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 561965 , adult female, collected in deep forest, 90 km west of Lake Edward (= L. Albert Edward), 00°05′N – 00°41′S, 29°18′E – 29°53′E ( Chapin, 1954: 660), Congo (Kinshasa), on 14 February 1908, by Rudolf Grauer (no. 2042). From the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: In the original description, Neumann said that the type, a male collected by Rudolf Grauer on 14 February 1908, was in the Rothschild Collection. He referred to this specimen as a male without comment, even though it is labeled a female by Grauer. Both Neumann and Hartert have labeled and initialed it a male on the back of the original label, and Hartert (1922b: 373) called attention to the supposedly incorrect original sexing. Presumably this decision was made because of its considerably longer wing and tail than that of a second specimen, also labeled female. Chapin (1953: 189) comment­ ed: ‘‘Grauer’s two specimens were correctly sexed as females.... The male plumage remained unknown until August, 1929... ’’. The wing measurement of 115 mm (I measure 116) falls within the measurements of males given by Keith et al. (1992: 277), and the possibility remains that it is an immature male, the plumage of which resembles the female.

The second specimen, the paratype, collected 11 February 1908 by Grauer (no. 2006), was formerly AMNH 561966 and was exchanged to BMNH.