Anthus spipoletta reichenowi Pražák

Mlíkovský, Jiří, 2011, Nomenclatural and taxonomic status of bird taxa (Aves) described by an ornithological swindler, Josef Prokop Pražák (1870 – 1904), Zootaxa 3005, pp. 45-68 : 54

Anthus spipoletta reichenowi Pražák

Anthus spipoletta reichenowi Pražák, 1897e: 326 .

Remarks. Pražák (1897e) did not specify the type series upon which he based his A. s. reichenowi , but listed (p. 328) measurements of 27 adult males and 15 adult females of this form, which would set the minimum size of the type series at 42 syntypes. However, the NHMW had no such specimens when Pražák had access to its collections. The VTH possessed 16 specimens from the Slovak Carpathians (now NHMW 32126–32140 and 74575), but they were apparently not available to Pražák for study (Tschusi 1899: 115). I found no relevant references to published sources in Pražák’s (1897e) paper; neither was I able to locate a paper which could have served Pražák as an inspiration. I thus believe that all 42 or more “ syntypes ” existed only in Pražák’s mind and that A. s. reichenowi is thus a hypothetical concept, which has no standing in zoological nomenclature (Art. 1.3.1. of the Code). This is supported by unrealistically small variability of Pražák’s alleged specimens. For example, all 27 adult males were said by Pražák (1897e: 328) to have wing length 84–85 mm, and tail length invariably 70 mm.