Cinnyris souimanga apolis Hartert

Pachycephalidae, Aegithalidae, Remizidae, Paridae, Sittidae, Neosittidae, Certhiidae, Rhabdornithidae, Climacteridae, Dicaeidae, Pardalotidae, Nectariniidae, And & Lecroy, Mary, 2010, Type Specimens Of Birds In The American Museum Of Natural History Part 8. Passeriformes:, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (333), pp. 1-178 : 143

Cinnyris souimanga apolis Hartert

Cinnyris souimanga apolis Hartert, 1920a: 428 (west coast of Madagascar).

Now Cinnyris souimanga apolis Hartert, 1920 . See Warren et al., 2003, Dickinson, 2003: 711, and Cheke and Mann, 2008a: 301.

LECTOTYPE: AMNH 701700 , adult male, collected on the west coast of Madagascar, undated, collector unknown. From the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: In his original description, Hartert noted that three male sunbirds were among a number of specimens that Rothschild had bought from a dealer in Paris. He explained that the locality on the original label, ‘‘C.O. Madagascar,’’ meant ‘‘Côte occidentale,’’ or west coast of Madagascar. Only these three specimens were included in his apolis, all of which have the same limited data. AMNH 701700 is the specimen bearing the Rothschild type label and was the specimen intended as the type by Hartert. In order to remove possible ambiguity and recognize Hartert’s intent, I hereby designate AMNH 701700 as the lectotype of Cinnyris souimanga apolis . The other two specimens, in male plumage, are the paralectotypes: AMNH 701699 and AMNH 701701.

Cheke and Mann (2008a: 301) used the spelling C. sovimanga for the species, citing the original spelling of the species name by Gmelin (1788) and considering the widespread subsequent spelling, souimanga to be an unjustified emendation. However, under Art. 32.2.3.1 of the Code (ICZN, 1999: 42) ‘‘when an unjustified emendation is in prevailing usage and is attributed to the original author and date it is deemed to be a justified emendation.’’ The spelling souimanga is and has been in prevailing usage and that usage should continue.