Taxonomic identities of Psittacula cyanopygia Souancé, 1856, Pachycephala clio Wallace, 1863, and Lagonosticta brunneiceps Sharpe, 1890, fixed through designation of lectotypes held in the Natural History Museum, Tring

Abstract

During ongoing work in the Natural History Museum, Tring, bird collections to identify and segregate syntype material, three cases have been identified where it is necessary to objectively define the relevant taxa. The first of these is the Mexican Parrotlet Forpus cyanopygius (Souancé, 1856), of which the male and female syntypes are identifiable as different species, with the female being a specimen of Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet F. xanthopterygius. Although some authors have suggested that the type material of F. cyanopygius is from the Tres Marías Islands, off western Mexico, and thus referrable to F. cyanopygius insularis, we demonstrate that the male syntype (now lectotype) can be confidently identified as being from the Mexican mainland, obviating the need for any nomenclatural revision. The second case involves Pachycephala clio Wallace, 1863, currently treated as a subspecies of Moluccan Whistler P. macrorhyncha, which was described from specimens collected in the Sula Islands and on Buru. Subsequently, Pachycephala melanura buruensis E. Hartert, 1899, now also a subspecies of P. macrorhyncha, was named from specimens collected exclusively on Buru, but without unambiguously restricting Wallace's nomen to the Sula Islands. The final case pertains to Lagonosticta brunneiceps Sharpe, 1890, which is currently treated as a subspecies of Red-billed Firefinch L. senegala. Specimens of Sharpe's type series originated from a large part of the distribution of L. senegala and are representative of multiple currently accepted subspecies. Therefore, lectotype designations are offered to fix the identity on the universally understood taxonomic concept associated with all of these taxa.