Asio portoricensis Ridgway

Frahnert, Sylke, Roman, Rafaela Aguilera, Eckhoff, Pascal & Wiley, James W., 2015, Juan Cristobal Gundlach's collections of Puerto Rican birds with special regard to types, Zoosystematics and Evolution 91 (2), pp. 177-189 : 185

Taxon classification Animalia Strigiformes Strigidae

Asio portoricensis Ridgway

Asio portoricensis Ridgway 1882: 366.

Now.

Asio flammeus portoricensis ( Cory 1889: 191; Peters 1940: 170).

Type series.

Ridgway (1882) attributed the discovery of this species to Baird et al. (1874) when the existence of a new species of this genus from Puerto Rico was determined. Lacking further material for comparison, this species remained unnamed in 1874. In his description, Ridgway (1882) wrote that he had studied 4 specimens from Puerto Rico, one specimen in the USNM (USNM 39643 which was illustrated and described as aberrant by Baird et al. (1874) and three specimens which were collected by Gundlach and received for determination from George Newbold Lawrence. Ridgway reported that all four specimens were very similar and described the new species. Therefore, all four specimens are syntypes. Some of Gundlach’s specimens passed to Lawrence. The specimen USNM 086039 came with the Lawrence collection to the USNM where it was catalogued in 1882 (in litt. James Dean to JWW, 3 June 2009). Two other specimens of Asio flammeus of the Lawrence collection came to the AMNH (AMNH 44768, AMNH 44769) in 1887 (in litt. Mary LeCroy 27 September 2013). One of them (AMNH 44768) was later (c. 1920, in litt. Jeremiah Trimble 25 October 2013) given to the MCZ, where it is housed today (MCZ 96674).

Syntype.

USNM 086039, skin, adult male, collected by J. C. Gundlach in Portorico [Puerto Rico].

Syntype.

USNM 39643, skin, adult, collected by G. Latimer on the north side of Portorico [Puerto Rico] [in 1864/65 according to catalogue USNM], catalogued at the USNM on 10 November 1865.

Syntype.

AMNH 44769, skin, male, collected by J. C. Gundlach in Portorico [Puerto Rico].

Syntype.

MCZ 96674 (former AMNH 44768), skin, collected by J. C. Gundlach in Portorico [Puerto Rico].

Type locality.

Porto Rico [today Puerto Rico], no further details available.