janvanderbrugge
Well-known member
Hello investigators and readers, we all know and sometimes exercise in studying obscure scientific names, trying to link them to valid actual ones. Famous ornithologists have trod before on this path - e.g. Cabanis, Hartert, Kuroda -, others have only gathered names, like Giebel in his voluminous Thesaurus work. And, for all biology, of course Charles Davies Sherborn. In his Index Animalium, 2:22 p.5468, he lists:
"Turdus reposcens M.H.C.Lichtenstein, Verz.Säug.Vög.Z.M. Berlin, 1835, 20 [n.n.]" (n.n. = nomen nudum, for a scientific name without description or type specimen)
This name is not in Richmond Index. As I could not remember the meaning of the term, I tried HBW Alive Key, in vain. The Latin verb reposcere means: to ask back, to reclaim. The Biodiversity Heritage Library could not provide Lichtenstein's list, but it has a similar quite interesting work:
Nomenclator Avium Musei Zoologici Berolinensis. Namenverzeichniss der in der Zoologischen Sammlung der Königlichen Universität zu Berlin aufge-stellten Arten von Vögeln. Berlin, 1854. (Name list of birds exposed in the zoological collection of the Zool.Museum of the Royal University Berlin)
This copy of that work has some extra value: on the blank pages before the title page there are an Ex Libris of S.Dillon Ripley and in ink the names H.Lichtenstein and Paul Leverkühn. Leverkühn published in Journal für Ornithologie, 1889 (Südamerikanische Nova aus dem Kieler Museum) and together with Berlepsch in Ornis, 1890.
In the introduction Lichtenstein writes: "Den Freunden unseres Museums übergebe ich hier den Catalog unserer Vögel, nicht als ein Werk von wissen-schaftlicher Bedeutung, sondern als eine etwas ausgeführtere Nachricht von dem Bestande, zu welcher ein 44jähriger Fleiss, unter der Gunst einer edel-müthiger Regierung, eine der anziehendsten Abtheilungen unseres zoolo-gischen Apparats zu bringen im Stande gewesen ist. [. . .] bei den Artnamen sowohl die Synonyme der Autoren, wie die Notizen über Vorkommen, Alter und sonstige Varietät weglassen müssen, mit welchen die einzelnen Exem-plare der Sammlung genügend versehn sind. Ohne dieses Zugeständnis was nicht auf wenigen Bogen zu leisten, was beabsichtigt ward [...] In short: the publication of the catalogue was not meant to be a work of scientific impor-tance, but more as an extensive note about this collection, which in 44 years of diligent work could become one of the most attractive sections of the institution. In the list the synonyms and particulars on appearance, age etc. were left out, to restrict the number of pages.
I thought it useful to mention this, because there is someting special: in the list someone has in pencil-writing added synonyms and their authors to the printed names. Could have been Leverkühn or Ripley, there are no German or English words. On p.123 a list of chronological data is given in pencil-writing, for the years 1875-1887. No explanation.
For reposcens I did not find Turdus, but Bessonornis, on p.26:
The list here is [in brackets the pencil-writings]:
Petrocincla semirufa [Rüpp. - Cossypha - Hgl.]
Bessonornis Smith. reposcens Kafferland. [?, bicolor?]
[Cossypha] leucoceps Senegal [= albicap.]
(") albicapilla [Gr. - Hrtl.]
(") cyanocampter Afrika. [Cab. - Hartl.]
p.27:
Bessonornis Smith. semirufa Abessinien [Rp. - - Hgl.]
(") gutturalis [Gr., - - Guér.]
(") superciliaris Kafferland. [Lcht. - -phoenic.]
A bird watcher who has ever been in South Africa, will probably have seen or at least heard one of the Cossypha group. They are called "lawaaimaker", which in Afrikaans and Dutch means: noise-maker (pron. like [bu]laway[o] (so not: away!, like the Go-away bird, the word is not onomatopoeic).
The pencil-written name bicolor is for Sparrman's Muscicapa bicolor. As C.dichroa is among the oldest members of this group, and Vieillot's name reclamator has the same meaning as reposcens, I feel sure that Turdus reposcens is a synonym [nomen nudum] of Cossypha dichroa.
I have added my own listing below. Several "Cossypha" species have been placed in other genera since: Dessonornis, Cercotrichas, Cossyphicula, Sheppardia. Apart from Lichtenstein: Cossypha Pécilei Oustalet, 1886 has still a question mark in my data. The HBW Key gives pecilei (only specific name) as synonymous name for Melaenornis pallidus murinus.
There was another name: Turdus psaltes Lichtenstein, 1835, related to the generic name Helopsaltes in HBW Alive Key. In Lichtenstein's list there is a Thamnobia psaltes for Kafferland, on p.31; it has only "[?]" given by the pencil-writer.
By the way, I like the German names Spottrötelschnäpper and Lärmrötel,
to be translated as "mocking red flycatcher" and "noise-redbird", nice for English tongues . . . I have some doubt about Fitzsimons' vernacular name "Piet-myn-vrouw", it is not the modern Afrikaans spelling, which would be "Piet-my-vrou" (pron. peet-mey-vrow), but also because that is better known as the name for a Cuckoo species.
Well, enjoy, Jan van der Brugge
[from my own files]
Cossypha dichroa (Muscicapa dichroa J.F.Gmelin, Hyloaedon dichroa A.Roberts, Muscicapa bicolor Sparrman, Turdus bicolor, C.bicolor, Turdus reclamator Vieillot, Cossyphus reclamator G.R.Gray, Bessonornis reclamator G.R.Gray, C.reclamator, Turdus vociferans Swainson, C.vociferans Vigors,
Cossyphus vociferans Swainson, Bessonornis vociferans G.R.Gray, Bessornis vociferans G.R.Gray, C.vocifera Stephens, Turdus revocator Temminck, Turdus reposcens Lichtenstein)
(Chorister Robin Chat, Chorister Robin-Chat, Chorister Robin-chat, Chorister Robin / Cosifa Bicolor)
(Chorister-lawaaimaker / Spottrötel, Spottrötelschnäpper, Lärmrötel / Cossyphe choriste, Cossyphe bicolore)
[Chorister Robin, Noisy Robin. Noisy Robin Chat, Piet-myn-vrouw (Fitzsimons, Nat.Hist.South Africa). Lawaaimaker of Spotroodborsttapuit. (series Grzimek).]
"Turdus reposcens M.H.C.Lichtenstein, Verz.Säug.Vög.Z.M. Berlin, 1835, 20 [n.n.]" (n.n. = nomen nudum, for a scientific name without description or type specimen)
This name is not in Richmond Index. As I could not remember the meaning of the term, I tried HBW Alive Key, in vain. The Latin verb reposcere means: to ask back, to reclaim. The Biodiversity Heritage Library could not provide Lichtenstein's list, but it has a similar quite interesting work:
Nomenclator Avium Musei Zoologici Berolinensis. Namenverzeichniss der in der Zoologischen Sammlung der Königlichen Universität zu Berlin aufge-stellten Arten von Vögeln. Berlin, 1854. (Name list of birds exposed in the zoological collection of the Zool.Museum of the Royal University Berlin)
This copy of that work has some extra value: on the blank pages before the title page there are an Ex Libris of S.Dillon Ripley and in ink the names H.Lichtenstein and Paul Leverkühn. Leverkühn published in Journal für Ornithologie, 1889 (Südamerikanische Nova aus dem Kieler Museum) and together with Berlepsch in Ornis, 1890.
In the introduction Lichtenstein writes: "Den Freunden unseres Museums übergebe ich hier den Catalog unserer Vögel, nicht als ein Werk von wissen-schaftlicher Bedeutung, sondern als eine etwas ausgeführtere Nachricht von dem Bestande, zu welcher ein 44jähriger Fleiss, unter der Gunst einer edel-müthiger Regierung, eine der anziehendsten Abtheilungen unseres zoolo-gischen Apparats zu bringen im Stande gewesen ist. [. . .] bei den Artnamen sowohl die Synonyme der Autoren, wie die Notizen über Vorkommen, Alter und sonstige Varietät weglassen müssen, mit welchen die einzelnen Exem-plare der Sammlung genügend versehn sind. Ohne dieses Zugeständnis was nicht auf wenigen Bogen zu leisten, was beabsichtigt ward [...] In short: the publication of the catalogue was not meant to be a work of scientific impor-tance, but more as an extensive note about this collection, which in 44 years of diligent work could become one of the most attractive sections of the institution. In the list the synonyms and particulars on appearance, age etc. were left out, to restrict the number of pages.
I thought it useful to mention this, because there is someting special: in the list someone has in pencil-writing added synonyms and their authors to the printed names. Could have been Leverkühn or Ripley, there are no German or English words. On p.123 a list of chronological data is given in pencil-writing, for the years 1875-1887. No explanation.
For reposcens I did not find Turdus, but Bessonornis, on p.26:
The list here is [in brackets the pencil-writings]:
Petrocincla semirufa [Rüpp. - Cossypha - Hgl.]
Bessonornis Smith. reposcens Kafferland. [?, bicolor?]
[Cossypha] leucoceps Senegal [= albicap.]
(") albicapilla [Gr. - Hrtl.]
(") cyanocampter Afrika. [Cab. - Hartl.]
p.27:
Bessonornis Smith. semirufa Abessinien [Rp. - - Hgl.]
(") gutturalis [Gr., - - Guér.]
(") superciliaris Kafferland. [Lcht. - -phoenic.]
A bird watcher who has ever been in South Africa, will probably have seen or at least heard one of the Cossypha group. They are called "lawaaimaker", which in Afrikaans and Dutch means: noise-maker (pron. like [bu]laway[o] (so not: away!, like the Go-away bird, the word is not onomatopoeic).
The pencil-written name bicolor is for Sparrman's Muscicapa bicolor. As C.dichroa is among the oldest members of this group, and Vieillot's name reclamator has the same meaning as reposcens, I feel sure that Turdus reposcens is a synonym [nomen nudum] of Cossypha dichroa.
I have added my own listing below. Several "Cossypha" species have been placed in other genera since: Dessonornis, Cercotrichas, Cossyphicula, Sheppardia. Apart from Lichtenstein: Cossypha Pécilei Oustalet, 1886 has still a question mark in my data. The HBW Key gives pecilei (only specific name) as synonymous name for Melaenornis pallidus murinus.
There was another name: Turdus psaltes Lichtenstein, 1835, related to the generic name Helopsaltes in HBW Alive Key. In Lichtenstein's list there is a Thamnobia psaltes for Kafferland, on p.31; it has only "[?]" given by the pencil-writer.
By the way, I like the German names Spottrötelschnäpper and Lärmrötel,
to be translated as "mocking red flycatcher" and "noise-redbird", nice for English tongues . . . I have some doubt about Fitzsimons' vernacular name "Piet-myn-vrouw", it is not the modern Afrikaans spelling, which would be "Piet-my-vrou" (pron. peet-mey-vrow), but also because that is better known as the name for a Cuckoo species.
Well, enjoy, Jan van der Brugge
[from my own files]
Cossypha dichroa (Muscicapa dichroa J.F.Gmelin, Hyloaedon dichroa A.Roberts, Muscicapa bicolor Sparrman, Turdus bicolor, C.bicolor, Turdus reclamator Vieillot, Cossyphus reclamator G.R.Gray, Bessonornis reclamator G.R.Gray, C.reclamator, Turdus vociferans Swainson, C.vociferans Vigors,
Cossyphus vociferans Swainson, Bessonornis vociferans G.R.Gray, Bessornis vociferans G.R.Gray, C.vocifera Stephens, Turdus revocator Temminck, Turdus reposcens Lichtenstein)
(Chorister Robin Chat, Chorister Robin-Chat, Chorister Robin-chat, Chorister Robin / Cosifa Bicolor)
(Chorister-lawaaimaker / Spottrötel, Spottrötelschnäpper, Lärmrötel / Cossyphe choriste, Cossyphe bicolore)
[Chorister Robin, Noisy Robin. Noisy Robin Chat, Piet-myn-vrouw (Fitzsimons, Nat.Hist.South Africa). Lawaaimaker of Spotroodborsttapuit. (series Grzimek).]
