Saxicola libanotica 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 : 9-10

Saxicola libanotica Hemprich & Ehrenberg

Saxicola libanotica “Hempr. Lichtenstein, 1825 [Unpublished manuscript name.] Saxicola libanotica Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833: 54 .

Now. Oenanthe oenanthe libanotica ( Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) . See Hartert (1910: 681).

Type series. Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1833: 54) based this form on 12 specimens from " Syria ", stating that “Specimina 12 venati sumus, syriaca omnia, Mares, Feminas, pullos.” (“We collected 12 specimens, all in Syria, males, females, juveniles.”). These specimens thus constitute the type series of S. libanotica . Lichtenstein (1825) listed as Saxicola libanotica 10 males and five females (all presumably adult) from “ Syria Libanon ” [sic] (Nr. 162– 175), and six juveniles from “ Syria Julio” (Nr. 177, 179–182, 184). Note that Lichtenstein's (1825) numerical series encompasses 14 specimens, while he listed 15 specimens (10 males and 5 females) in the next column, and that he indicated in still other columns that six specimens should stay in ZMB and nine specimens should be traded (which together makes 15 specimens). We thus believe that he had 15 specimens at his disposal and that he either numbered two of them with a single number or erroneously left one unnumbered. All adults were accompanied with the Hemprich name Saxicola libanotica , while all juveniles bore the Hemprich name Saxicola picta ( Lichtenstein 1825) . The fact that Hemprich labeled adult specimens as libanotica and juvenile specimens as picta , and that the type series of Saxicola libanotica expressly included both adult and juvenile specimens (see above), indicates that Ehrenberg recognized picta as juveniles of libanotica . Lichtenstein (1825) listed together 21 specimens as S. libanotica , i.e. more than indicated by Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1833: 54). If the figure 12 in Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1833: 54) is a misprint for 21, then the original type series included 21 specimens. Only nine specimens of S. libanotica from appropriate localities (“ Syrien ” or “ Libanon ”) were listed in the Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB (the remaining ones being probably sold by Lichtenstein prior to cataloguing). These specimens probably belonged to the original type series of Saxicola libanotica Hemprich and Ehrenberg. In addition, a specimen of S. libanotica ( ZMB 4796, adult 3, still present in ZMB) said to have originated from “Arabien” both on an accompanying label and in the Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB was labeled as a type of S. libanotica . We do not include this specimen among the syntypes of S. libanotica , because it originated from “Arabia” and not from “ Syria ”. Blanford and Dresser (1874: 219) said that they examined the “ type ” of libanotica , and Dresser and Blanford (1874: 340) specified that they found nine specimens “from Syria, Palestine, and Arabia” in ZMB. Meinertzhagen (1954: 239) said that he examined in ZMB a “ lectotype and five paratypes ” of this form. We are unaware that any specimen was designated as a lectotype in a manner required by the ICZN (1999), and continue thus to treat all relevant specimens as syntypes.

Syntype. ZMB 4793, skin, 3, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 Aug 1824] in “ Libanon ” (label) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype. ZMB 4794, skin, ad. 3, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May– 6 Aug 1824] in “ Libanon ” (label) [= northern Lebanon]. Wilhelm Meise, who created a preliminary card file of type specimens of birds in the ZMB in the 1950s, listed this specimen as a lectotype. To the best of our knowledge, this lectotypification has never been published and all specimens from the type series thus continue to be syntypes.

Syntype. ZMB 4795, skin, Ƥ, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Libanon ” (label) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype. ZMB 14866, skin, Ƥ, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Syrien ” (label) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype. ZMB 14867, skin, juv., collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Syrien ” (label) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype (lost): ZMB 4789, juv., collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Syrien ” (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype (lost): ZMB 4791, 3, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Libanon ” (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype (lost): ZMB 4792, unsexed ad., collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] in “ Libanon ” (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) [= northern Lebanon].

Syntype (lost): ZMB 4797, Ƥ, collected on an unknown date [= 18 May–6 August 1824] “ Syrien ” (Inventory Catalogue of the ZMB) [= northern Lebanon].

Type locality. Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1833: 54) said that all syntypes of their Saxicola libanotica were collected in “ Syria ”. Entries in Lichtenstein (1825) indicate that juvenile specimens were collected in July, when Hemprich and Ehrenberg traveled widely through the country. Knowing Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s itinerary, we restrict here the type locality of Saxicola libanotica Hemprich and Ehrenberg to northern Lebanon between Beirut, Baalbek and Tripoli.

Remarks. See also below under Saxicola rostrata Hemprich & Ehrenberg.