QL Vol. XX. February, 1913.] UC-NRLF CRITICAL NOTES ON THE TYPES OF LITTLF KNOWN SPECIES OF NEOTROPICAL BIBDS.-PAEi U * BY C. K. UKLLMAVfl. LiBBAftY CRITICAL NOTES ON THE TYPES OF LITTLE-KNOWN SPECIES OP NEOTROPICAL BIRDS.— PART II. BY 0. E. HELLMAYR. 8-0 i • f/4 MOLQG1 It&in Lib." -» . « • • ,.--,- ' , .* • • -•/' . *.' « t «»'», [From " Novitates Zoologicae" Vol. XX. February, 1913.] CRITICAL NOTES ON THE TYPES OF LITTLE-KNOWN SPECIES OP NEOTROPICAL BIRDS.— PART II.* BY C. E. HELLMAYK IN the following lines I propose to discuss another series of type-specimens which I have had the opportunity of examining during the last six years, and it is hoped that these notes may not be devoid of interest to the student of neotropical ornithology. Acknowledgments for the loan of material are dne to the same gentlemen as mentioned in the first part of this paper, and also to Dr. J. A. Allen, Mr. 0. Bangs, Dr. Hans Gadow, and Mr. F. V. McDonnell. 48. Thryothorus coraya and allies. Among South American Wrens this is unquestionably the most puzzling and most difficult group. It embraces seven or eight races which, although sometimes separated by wide tracts of country, differ one from another only in slight, but fairly constant characters. For a long time the typical T. coraya, " Le Coraya de Cayenne " of Buffon and Daubenton, was the only recognised form whose range was supposed to extend over nearly the whole Amazonian subregion from French Guiana to the eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. The first attempt to discriminate local races of this wide-ranging bird was made by the late R. B. Sharpe, who, in 1881, described Thryothorus amazonicm from the Ucayali, and T. griseipectus from the north bank of the Marailon.f In 1903 the present writer J gave a short review of the known forms, which, in the light of the ample material now at hand, requires considerable modification. Quite recently Lord Brabourne and Mr. Chubb § have dealt with the Guianan representatives of the group, but being unfamiliar with the variation of these birds, and unacquainted with the existing literature, they have fallen into several errors, and added, furthermore, to the confusion by creating two useless synonyms. || So much about the previous papers relating to the subject. The careful study of a large series leaves no doubt that T. coraya, T, ridgwayi, T. amazonicus, T. griseipectus, T. griseipectus caurensis, T. herberti, and T. cantator are merely representatives of the same specific type, agreeing with one another in all essential points, and replacing each other geographically. It is probable that T. albicentris Tacz. H also belongs to this group ; unfortunately I have not been able to secure an example of this rare species. The total of specimens examined in the present connection amounts to seventy- two — certainly a far greater number than has yet been at the disposition of any * Part I. ; Nov. Zool. xiii. 1900, pp. 305-52. t Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vi. pp. 235, 236. J Journ.filr Ornith. 51, pp. 532-4. § Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (8 ser.) x. August 1912, pp. 261-2. || In the same paper the authors propose the new name Pteroglossus roraimae, which, again, is only a synonym of P. araeari atricollis (P. L. S. Mull.). See Berlepsch & Hartert, Nov. Zool. ix, 1902, p. 102 ; Berlepsch, Nov. Zool. xv, 1908, p. 281 ; Hellmayr, I.e. xvii, 1910, p. 397.— The record of Tliam- nopliilus borbae from British Guiana is likewise a mistake, the birds from that country being referable to T. major semifasciatus (Cab.), which has a wide range in northern South America. 1 P. Z. S. Load. 1882, p. 5 (1882.— Chirimoto, N. Peru). QQQOQQ I' ( 228 ; monographer. Before proceeding to the account of the various races it may be stated that adult males and females do not differ in coloration ; the latter are, however, smaller, and have a shorter, slenderer bill. Young birds of both sexes are much more brownish beneath, the white markings on the sides of the head are dingy, ill-defined, sometimes even obsolete, the upper parts duller as well as darker, etc. SYNOPSIS OF THE SUBSPECIES OF Thryothorus coraya. 1. Thryothorus coraya coraya (Gm.). Turdus Coraya Gmelin, Sijst. Nat. 1, ii. p. 825 (1789. — based on " Le Coraya de Cayenne," Daubenton, PI. enl. 701, fig. 1, and Buffon, Hist. Nat. Ois. iv. p. 454). Thryothorus melanos Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. 34, p. 56 (1819. — " Bresil" ; coll. Laugier). T. oyapocensis Ridgway, Proc. U.S. Mus. x. 1887, p. 516, note (1888. — Oyapoc, Cayenne). T. coraya Pelzeln, Zur Orn. Bras. i. p. 48 (part. : Barra do Rio Negro) ; Berlepsch, Nov. Zool. xv. 1908, p. 106 (Approuague, Ipousin, French Guiana). T. coraya coraya Hellmayr, Journ.f. Orn. 51, 1903, p. 532 (part. : Cayenne). T. coraya herberti (errore !) Hellmayr, Journ. f. Orn. 51, 1903, p. 533 (part. : specimen ex Barra do Rio Negro). T. oyapocensis oyapocensis Brabourne & Chubb, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) x. 1912, p. 262 (French Guiana). Hob. French Guiana : Cayenne, Ipousin, Appronague (Cherrie), Oyapoc (Jelski), Saint-Jean-du-Maroni (Le Moult) ; Surinam : near Paramaribo (Chunkoo). North Brazil : Barra do Rio Negro [= Manaos] (Natterer). Adult. — Upper parts rufous brown, duller on crown and nape ; upper tail- coverts dull rufescent brown, either uniform or with traces of dusky cross-lines ; rectrices regularly barred with blackish and greyish brown or dingy grey, the light bars towards the base of the tail often slightly tinged with fulvous. Sides of head and neck black, varied with numerous well-defined white shaft-stripes ; a very distinct superciliary line white. Below : throat and foreneck white, the latter tinged with pale greyish ; middle of breast and abdomen dull greyish white or dingy buffish, chest clouded with brownish ; sides of the body extensively fulvous-brown ; under tail-coverts somewhat paler, barred with dusky. Juv. — Differ by having the sides of the head sooty blackish with obsolete, greyish white markings ; the crown and nape brighter rufous brown ; the throat more greyish, the foreneck smoky grey, and the remainder of the under parts nearly uniform fulvous brown, there being but a few buffy white feathers in the middle of the breast. The basal half of the lower mandible is bright yellow, abruptly defined against the blackish tip, while in adult birds the under bill is wholly horn-grey. Material. — 1 c? ad. Barra do Rio Negro, 10 from French Guiana, 1 imm. from Surinam. Specimens from different localities average as follows : Four adult males from Cayenne (French Guiana). . . ' . . . Wing 59-61 ; tail 53-56 ; bill 17-18 mm. One adult male from Barra do Rio Negro, Brazil Wing 62 ; tail 57 ; bill 16 mm. One adult female from Cayenne . . Wing 58 ; tail 53 ; bill 17 mm. One immature (not sexed) from Surinam Wing 59 ; tail 57 ; bill 15| mm. Observations. — The series from Cayenne and Surinam is fairly uniform. An adult male from Saint-Jean-du-Maroni is rather lighter rufous on the back, approaching T. c. amazonicus, though otherwise it is quite typical. The single ( 229 ) Brazilian specimen, a perfectly adult male, agrees in every way with Cayenne skins and belongs undoubtedly to the present race. It is one of the two examples referred to as T. coraya herberti Ridgw. in my paper quoted above. How this mistake could have been committed I am at a loss to understand. In fact, the Manaos specimen differs from that taken at Cara-raucu (which will be discussed later on) by much darker, more chestnut-brown upper parts, dingy grey (instead of cinnamon-brown) tail, more extended as well as much brighter fulvous-brown colour on the sides of the body, distinct white markings on the cheeks and ear- coverts, and by having the chest clouded with brownish. In all these characters it is practically identical with Cayenne examples. T. c. coraya ranges, therefore, from French Guiana south to the north bank of the Amazons. Nomenclature. — Messrs. Brabourne and Chubb accept for the Cayenne bird the name T. oyapocensis Ridgw., under the assumption that Daubenton's plate represents the race from the Roraima Mountains in British Guiana. However, this view cannot be upheld for several reasons. Firstly, on reference to Buffon's work * we find that the description of " Le Coraya " f evidently applies to the ordinary Cayenne bird, which, moreover, is the only Wren of this group occurring in the French colony. Secondly, the interior of British Guiana was literally unknown at the time of Buffon's writing ; and it was not until 1842 that Richard Schomburgk, as the tirst European traveller, reached the distant mountain chain of which Roraima is the culminating peak. Daubenton's figure with uniform fulvous -brown belly might well have been taken from a young bird in which, as said above, the greyish white middle line is nearly wanting. 2. Thryothorus coraya griseigula (Lawr.). Formicivora griseigula Lawrence, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. ii. no. 12. p. 382 (June 1883. — British Guiana) ; Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. N.H. ii. 1889, p. 151 (juv.). Thryothorus coraya (nee Gmelin) Cabanis in : Schomburgk, Reisen Brit. Guiana iii. 1848, p. 674 (" Kiistenwalder," Brit. Guiana) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vi. p. 234 (part., descr. and hab. Bartica Grove) ; Salvin, Ibis. 1885, p. 201 (Bartica Grove, Merum6, Roraima Mts.). T. ridywayi Berlepsch, Journ. f. Orn. 37, p. 293 (1889 — Brit. Guiana ; the type is from Bartica Grove) ; Hellruayr, I.e. 51, 1903, p. 534 (crit., Bartica Grove [type], Camacusa). T. coraya berlepschi Brabourne and Chubb, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) x. p. 262 (1912. — Bartica Grove). T. oyapocensis ituribisciensis Brabourne and Chubb, I.e. p. 262-.(Ituribisce, Brit. Guiana). Hab. British Guiana : Bartica Grove, Merume Mountains, Roraima, Carimang River, Camacusa (H. Whitely), Supernaam,t Camacabra Creek, Ituribisce § (F. V. McConnell). Adult. — Much like T. coraya coraya, but differs by having the under parts (except throat and foreneck) strongly washed with ochreous brown or tawny ochraceous. In all other characters, viz. rufous brown colour of upper parts, greyish brown tail-bands, distinct white stripes on sides of head, etc., it closely resembles the typical race. Juv. — Breast and abdomen uniform rufous-brown, much darker than in the corresponding stage of T. c. coraya. Material. — 1 cT ad. (type of T. ridgwayi\ 1 ? vix ad. (type of T, coraya ber- * Hist. Nat. Ois. iv. p. 484. t " La gorge et le devant du cou sont blancs, .la poitrine est moins blanche et prend une teinte de cendr£ ; il y a un pen de roussStre sous le ventre et sur les jambes." % Spelt "Supinaam" \on the map in R. Schomburgk's Reiten in British Ouiana, vol. ii. Leipzig, § Spelt " Itterbiesje "/ 1847. ( 230 ) lepschi), 1 ? iram. from Bartica Grove; 1 ad. Great Falls ; 1 Camacabra Creek ; 4 Super naam ; 4 Ituribisce ; 8 <$ ? Roraima ; 1 ? ad. Carnacusa ; 1 c? vix ad. R. Carimang. Specimens from different localities average as follows : Six males from the coast district (Bartica, etc.) .... Wing 60-63 ; tail 56-58 ; bill 15-16 mm. Two males from the mountains (Cari- mang, Rorairna) .... Wing 61 ; tail 59, 62 ; bill 15, 16 mm. Six females from the coast district . Wing 57-59 ; tail 53-56 ; bill 15-16 mm. Six females from the mountains (Camacusa, Roraima) . . . Wing 55-57 ; tail 52-57 ; bill 15 mm. Observations. — Messrs. Brabourne and Chubb, in the paper quoted above, distinguish three races as occurring in British Guiana under the names of T. coraya coraya (Roraima), T. c. berlepschi (Bartica Grove), and T. oyapocensis ituribisciensis (Ituribisce district). Mr. F. V. McConnell very kindly forwarded for my inspection his entire series of Wrens which had formed the basis of their conclusions. This material, supplemented by the specimens in the Munich, Tring and Berlepsch Collections, and including the types of T. ridgwayi, T. berlepschi, and T. o. ituribisciensis I have carefully studied, with the result that I find there exists in British Guiana but one form, which is entitled to the name T. c. griseigula (Lawr.). Let us first consider the inhabitants of the lowland districts, which, according to Brabourne and Chubb, are referable to two races, one with dull fulvous under- parts (T. c. berlepschi), the other with greyish middle line ( T. o. ituribisciensis). On comparing fifteen specimens I notice that three from Bartica Grove (including the types of T. ridgwayi and T. berlepschi), and an adult male from Supernaam are much the darkest, the under parts posterior to the white throat and foreneck being nearly uniform bright tawny ochraceous. Then follow two skins from the " Great Falls " and Camacabra Creek with a somewhat duller, more brownish ochraceous belly, which in the last-named bird passes into a paler, more brownish buff tinge along the middle line. Next come two males from Ituribisce (one the type of T. o. ituribisciensis) in which the under parts are mainly buffy brown, darkening to ochreous brown on the flanks. An adult bird from Supernaam is closely similar, but the middle of the abdomen is rather more greyish brown and the sides are decidedly darker. Finally, two males (adult and immature) from Supernaam and Ituribisce are even more greyish in the middle, and, except for the slightly darker sides, they are not distinguishable from average Cayenne specimens, i.e. T. c. coraya. From the above, it will be seen that the variation is purely individual and not connected with any particular geographic area. It should also be borne in mind that the Ituribisce is in the same district as the Snpernaam, both rivers draining their waters through the plains into St. James' Canal (mouth of the Essequibo). The conditions for the development of a peculiar form are, therefore, hardly given. Messrs. Brabourue and Chubb, furthermore, consider the birds from the moun- tainous interior (Roraima) to be distinguishable by their lighter " chestnut " back and brighter fulvous underparts. The majority of my skins from the mountains are indeed of a clearer ochraceous beneath, but several are not different from the type of T. ridgwayi (ex Bartica Grove), whereas a male from the Carimang River (Roraima district), in the dull ochreous-brown belly, exactly matches some of the ( 231 ) lowland examples. In the shade of the upper parts I cannot discover any constant difference between the two series. Adult Roraima birds are by no means lighter rufous brown than those from Bartica Grove or Supernaam, and for the present I am unable to discriminate more than one form in British Guiana. Thus, T. c. griseigula may be characterised as being similar to T. c. coraya, but as a rule easily distinguishable by the ochraceous or ochreous brown colour of the lower parts, though occasionally specimens may be found which closely resemble the typical race. Nomenclature. — The earliest available name is apparently Formiciwra griseigula, founded upon an immature example from British Guiana. The de- scription leaves no doubt as to its identity, which, moreover, has been confirmed by Dr. J. A. Allen through examination of the type specimen. 3. Thryothorus coraya herberti Ridgw. Thryothorus herberti (Hiker MS.) Ridgway, Proc. U.S. Mus. x. 1887, p. 516 (1888.— Diamantina, near Santarem, Lower Amazons) ; Chapman and Riker, Auk, vii. 1890, p. 266 (Diamantina). T. coraya herberti Hellmayr, Journ.f. Orn. 51. 1903, p. 533 (part.: Cara-raucu). T. coraya (errore) Pelzeln, Zur Orn. Bras. i. p. 48 (part : Cara-raucu, Lower Amazons). Hab. — North Brazil, south bank of the Lower Amazons : Diamantina, near Santarem (Riker), Cara-raucu (Natterer). Adult. — Nearest to T. coraya coraya, from Cayenne and Manaos, but differs by having the sides of the head almost uniform black (relieved only by a very narrow, inconspicuous, white superciliary streak and a few extremely narrow lines of the same on auriculars) ; the upper parts much brighter, more chestnut rufous ; the light tail-bands cinnamon-brown instead of dull greyish ; the foreneck and chest more purely buffy grey without brownish suffusion ; and the flanks less extensively as also paler rufescent brown. Material. — One <£ ad. from Cara-raucu, Lower Amazons, J. Natterer coll., Vienna Museum. Wing 62 ; tail 58 ; bill 16 J mm. Observations. — This specimen agrees very well with Mr. Ridgway's description, and appears to be decidedly distinct from T. c. coraya. The pileum and nape are dull sepia brown, slightly tinged with umber or rufescent, the remaining upper parts, including wing- and tail-coverts, bright chestnut rufous. Underneath it resembles the Cayenne form, but the breast is somewhat paler and lacks the brownish suffusion, while the flanks are lighter brown. There is, however, no difference between the two races either in size or in the shape of the bill. From T. coraya amazonicus, of Upper Amazonia, T. c. herberti may be distinguished by the reduction of the white markings on sides of head, by the cinnamon-brown (instead of dull greyish) tail-bands and by the bright chestnut-rufous upper parts. Seen from below the two races are perfectly alike. 4. Thryothorus coraya, amazonicus Sharpe. Thryothorus amazonicus Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vi. p. 235, tab. 15t fig. 1 (1881.— Saraya$u, Ucayali, Eastern Peru) ; Berlepsch, Journ.f. Orn. 37, 1889, p. 293 (Yurimaguas). T. coraya amazonicus Hellmayr, Journ.f. Orn. 51, 1903, p. 533 (crit. : Yurimaguas). T. coraya (errore) Sclater and Salvin, P.Z.S. Lond. 1866, p. 178 (part. : Sarayac.u) ; iidem, I.e. 1873, p. 257 (part. : Sarayacu) : Taczanowski, P.Z.S. 1882, p. 5 (Yurimaguas). Hab. — Northern Peru, south of the Maraiion : Sarayagu, Ucayali R. (Bartlett) ; Yurimaguas, Huallaga R. (Stolzmann, Garlepp). Adult. — Much like T. c. coraya, and only distinguishable by its lighter, rufous- brown upper parts and less rufescent-brown flanks. The bill is by no means ( 232 ) stronger than in adult birds of T. c. coraya^ and the dusky barring of the upper tail-coverts upon which Dr. Sharpe and Count Berlepsch laid much stress is not a constant feature either. The light-coloured tail-bands are dingy greyish or ashy, only the basal ones slightly tinged with fulvous, exactly as in T. c. coraya, with which T. c. amazonicus also agrees in having a very distinct superciliary stripe and numerous white longitudinal streaks on the ear-coverts. Material. — 1 c?, 1 Neopipo cinnamomea helenae McConnell . = Grallaricida ferrugineipectus (Scl.) . == Chrysuronia oenone josephinae (Bourc. & Muls.). ? = Saucerottia saucerottei (Del. & Bourc.) = Amizilis amazilia (Less.) = Geococcyx velox (Wagner) = an artefact p. 234 p. 235 p. 235 p. 236 p. 237 p. 238 p. 238 p. 239 p. 241 p. 242 p. 242 p. 243 p. 245 p. 246 p. 248 p. 248 p. 249 p. 251 p. 252 p. 252 p. 253 p. 254 p. 254 Critical 1.01-33 .-pes H4 jf lit ile-iOiG'.vn y^ejies of ueo iTu^ijui BirdiTpTTSt L/BRARY fi_ 999292 w UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY