Vanellus grisescens 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 : 62

Vanellus grisescens Pražák

Vanellus grisescens Pražák, 1896a: 23 .

Remarks. Pražák (1896a: 23) said that he based this species on the holotype deposited in JJPH (no accession or inventory number given), which was collected by Mr. Richard Materna on an unspecified date in “Nord Chili ” (“northern Chile ”). There is no evidence that Pražák received this specimen from Richard Materna (who existed probably only in Pražák’s mind) or from anybody else, and there is no evidence that the holotype of V. g r i s e s c e n s Pražák existed. I thus consider Vanellus grisescens Pražák a hypothetical form, whose name has no standing in zoological nomenclature (Art. 1.3.1 of the Code). In inventing this species, Pražák (1896a) might have been inspired by the description of Vanellus occidentalis Harting (1874: 450) , which he cited.

Grant (1911: 274) accepted Vanellus grisescens as valid with Pražák as its author, provided a diagnosis for the form, and listed specimens he included in the species. Pražák’s (1896a) Vanellus grisescens being not available for nomenclatural purposes, Grant (1911) unwittingly became the author of V. grisescens according to the Code ( ICZN 1999). The syntypes include one ZMB specimen from Paraguay ( Grant 1912: 274; inventory number unknown, because ZMB collections are closed in the long-term – S. Frahnert and P. Eckhoff, in litt. 2010), and 15 BMNH specimens collected by Grant at Los Ynglases, Aj Province, Argentina ( Grant 1911: 464, 1912: 274). Of the latter, 14 syntypes are still deposited in the BMNH and one was forwarded to the NMS. The list of BMNH syntypes is as follows (R. Prÿs-Jones, in litt. 2010): BMNH 1910.12.22.676 (ad. Ƥ; 11 September 1908), 677 (ad. Ƥ; 23 September 1908), 678 (ad. Ƥ; 24 September 1908), 679 (ad. 3; 25 September 1908), 680 (ad. Ƥ, 30 September 1908), 681 (nestling 3, 1 November 1908), 682 (nestling 3; 1 November 1908), 683 (nestling Ƥ; 1 November 1908), 684 (juv. 3; 11 January 1909), 685 (ad. 3; 11 January 1909; incorrectly listed as Ƥ by Grant 1911: 464), 686 (juv. Ƥ; 12 January 1909; incorrectly listed as 3 by Grant 1911: 464), 687 (juv. 3; 13 January 1909), 688 (nestling Ƥ; 20 January 1909), 689 (imm. Ƥ; 15 February 1909). The NMS syntype is a juv. 3 collected on 19 January 1910 and listed by Grant (1911: 464) (NMS.Z 1916.41.33; B. McGowan, in litt. 2010).

Accepting the taxonomic arrangement of Dickinson (2003), I synonymize here Vanellus grisescens Grant, 1912 , with Vanellus chilensis lampronotus (Wagler, 1827) (see also Hellmayr & Conover 1948: 33).

Erroneously believing that V. grisescens Pražák is available for nomenclatural purposes, Hellmayr (1932: 367) and Hellmayr & Conover (1948: 36) listed this name in the synonymy of Belonopterus cayennensis occidentalis ( Harting, 1874) , while Peters (1934: 236) and Brodkorb (1935: 6) listed it in the synonymy of Belonopterus chilensis chilensis (Molina, 1782) . Their actions have no bearing on the nomenclatural status of Vanellus grisescens of Pražák (1896a).