A revision of the Australian Owls (Strigidae and Tytonidae)

INTRODUCTION When in December 1960 the R.A.O.U. Checklist Committee was reorganised and the various tasks in hand were divided over its members, the owls were assigned to the author. While it was first thought that only the Boobook Owl, the systematics of which have been notoriously confused, would need thorough revision and that as regards the other species existing lists, for example Peters (1940), could be followed, it became soon apparent that it was impossible to make a satisfactory list without revision of all species. In this paper the four Australian species of Strigidae are fully revised, over their whole ranges, and the same has been done for Tyto tenebricosa. Of the other three Australian Tytonidae, however, only the Australian races have been considered: these species have a wide distribution (one of them virtually world-wide) and it was not expected that the very considerable amount of extra work needed to include extralimital races would be justified by results. Considerable attention has been paid to geographical distribution, and it appears that some species are much more restricted in distribution than has generally been assumed. A map of the distribution of each species is given; these maps are mainly based on material personally examined, and only when they extended the range as otherwise defined, have I made use of reliable field observations and material published but not seen by me. From the section on material examined it will be easy to trace the localities; where other information has been used, the reference follows the locality. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The revision was carried out, besides the Western Australian Museum

Die Vögel der Insel Gebe

EINLEITUNG Die Insel Gebe, eine verhältnismässig lange, schmale Insel mit einer grössten Länge von 421/2 km, einer Oberfläche von etwa 140 km2, und einer grössten Höhe von 396 m1), bildet geographisch eine Brücke zwischen der Molukkeninsel Halmahera und der papuanischen Insel Waigeo. Man könnte deshalb erwarten, dass sie auch zoogeographisch wichtig sei, und in ihrer Fauna Elemente östlicher und westlicher Herkunft vereinigen dürfte. In diesem Zusammenhang ist es merkwürdig, ja nahezu unverständlich, dass die Insel von zoologischen Sammlern fast vollständig vernachlässigt worden ist und dass z.B. nie eine Liste ihrer Avifauna veröffentlicht wurde. Seit Sonnerat (1776) im Jahre 1770 die Insel besucht und dort wohl einige Vogelarten gesammelt hat (sicher Eos squamata, vielleicht auch Ducula myristicivora, Eclectus roratus polychloros, Tanygnathus megalorynchos und Cracticus cassicus; leider sind seine Angaben wenig deutlich), wurde sie meines Wissens nur durch einen einzigen weiteren Sammler wirklich untersucht. Es war Dr. H. A. Bernstein, der — begleitet von zwei javanischen Jägern — im Dienste des Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie vom 30. Januar bis zum 2. März 1863 auf Gebe verblieb, und die Insel vom 18.-21. Mai 1863 und 10.-12. November 1864 abermals flüchtig besuchte (Bernstein, 1864; Van Musschenbroek, 1883). Freilich hat auch der Reisende D. S. Hoedt während eines viertägigen Aufenthalts auf Gebe (25.-29. Juli 1863) einige Vögel gesammelt, darunter sogar eine nicht von Bernstein erbeutete Art. Ausserdem hat der Däne J. Waterstradt, damals im Dienste des Tring Museums, während eines mutmasslich kurzen Aufenthalts (wahrscheinlich auf der Rückfahrt von Waigeo, wo er um den Jahreswechsel 1902/1903 täti

Further revisional notes on the Belonidae

INTRODUCTION In my recent revision of the Belonidae (Mees, 1962) a number of problems had to remain unsolved because of lack of material, and in particular because of a number of named forms the type specimens had not been available. The revision was called "preliminary" for that reason. Thanks to the co-operation of colleagues in several countries I have been able, on a round-the-world tour which lasted from February to August, 1962, to examine nearly all the types of what I had previously had to regard as species dubiae, and other type specimens, which show that in a few instances the synonymy presented in my paper is erroneous. A serious error in the key also became obvious (see under Belone punctulata). Though, inevitably, a few problems remain to be solved, it is now possible to give a reasonably exact count of the number of genera, species and subspecies in the family. I recognise two genera: Potamorrhaphis with one species, and Belone with 23 species and 5 subspecies. This compares with estimates of from sixty to a hundred species given in literature. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a pleasant duty to acknowledge the help from the colleagues who made it possible for me to examine so many type specimens: Dr. J. W. Böhlke (Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia), Miss E. Hahn (Macleay Museum, Sydney), Dr. D. Kähsbauer (Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien), Dr. W. Klausewitz (Natur-Museum und Forschungs-Institut Senckenberg, Frankfurt), Dr. G. A. Mead (Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, Cambridge, Mass.), Dr. D. E. Rosen (American Museum of Natural History, New York), Dr. G. von Wahlert (Staatliches Museum für Natur

The Philippine subspecies of Centropus bengalensis (Gmelin) (Aves, Cuculidae)

The Philippine populations of Centropus bengalensis had been generally included in the widely distributed subspecies C. b. javanensis (Dumont), type locality Java, until Deignan (1955) observed that the population of Palawan is actually referable to this subspecies, but: "that those of other islands are separable by having, in fresh plumage, increased nigrescence of the anterior upper parts, the black or blackish area usually extending to the center of the back". For this subspecies Deignan used the name C. molkenboeri Bonaparte (1850: 108, "ex Philippinis"), which had been listed as a synonym of C. b. javanensis by Shelley (1891), Stresemann (1912) and Hachisuka (1934-1935). Parkes (1957) confirmed and amplified Deignan's findings as regards the distinctness of the Philippine race, concluding his paper with the remark : "the purpose of this note is to introduce the combination Centropus bengalensis molkenboeri into current taxonomie literature so that it may be used without burdensome explanation in forthcoming papers". In a later paper, Parkes (1965) has again discussed the characters of the Philippine subspecies of C. bengalensis, using, as in his previous paper, the name C. b. molkenboeri for it. Although I am not aware that the name molkenboeri in the combination C. b. molkenboeri has been used by other authors (in the post-Parkes publications by Ripley & Rabor, 1958, and Rand & Rabor, 1960, the name C. b. javanensis was still applied to Philippine birds), its use has not been challenged either and for that reason, and before that combination becomes too firmly entrenched in literature, I want to state that the holotype of C. molkenboeri is still in our collection, and that it does not belong to th

Zur Nomenklatur einiger Raubvögel und Eulen

1. Aviceda jerdoni borneensis (Brüggemann) In der Literatur wird Sharpe (1893) als Autor des Namen Baza borneensis betrachtet, und der ältere Name Baza borneensis Brüggemann (1876) als nomen nudum verworfen (z.B. bei Peters, 1931). Das ist aber nicht richtig denn obschon Brüggemann selbst die Art (oder Rasse) nicht beschrieb, basierte er sie ganz auf einen von Schlegel (1873) unter dem Namen Baza magninostris (Fehldruck für Baza magnirostris) beschriebenen Vogel von Pontianak. Da Brüggemann auf eine Beschreibung hinweist, ist sein Name gültig. Die Borneo-Rasse von Aviceda jerdoni soll deshalb Aviceda jerdoni borneensis (Brüggemann, 1876) heissen, und nicht Aviceda jerdoni borneensis (Sharpe, 1893). Es ist merkwürdig dass die jenigen die Sharpe (1893) als Autor des borneensis auffassen, doch als typische Lokalität Pontianak angeben (Peters, 1931; Chasen, 1935; Smythies, 1957), denn Sharpe beschrieb nur Stücke aus Sarawak. Der von Diard in 1826 gesammelte Typus im Leidener Museum ist bisher wohl der einzige von Pontianak und WestBorneo bekannte Vogel dieser Art. Ein glücklicher Umstand ist, dass borneensis Brüggemann die Priorität hat über Baza leucopias Sharpe (1888). Dieser Name wurde einem anscheinend albinistischen, und deshalb nicht subspezifisch deutbaren Balg aus Palawan gegeben. In der rezenten Literatur (z.B. Delacour & Mayr, 1946; Parkes, 1961) wird dieser Balg, noch immer das einzige aus Palawan bekannte Stück der Art Aviceda jerdoni, zur philippinischen Rasse magnirostris gerechnet, aber auf geographischen Gründen dürfte ich eher Verwandtschaft oder sogar Identität mit der borneoschen Rasse annehmen. 2. Accipiter exilis (Temminck

The type-locality of Pteronetta hartlaubii (Cassin, 1859) (Aves, Anatidae)

Currently, the type locality of Pteronetta hartlaubii is considered to be the Camma River, Gabon, but this is an error, and must be Rio Boutry, Gold Coast (now Ghana), where the holotype was obtained by H.S. Pel. In a note, reference is made to a few other specimens obtained by the collectors Pel and Nagtglas which in recent literature have been overlooked

Enige gegevens over de uitgestorven ral Pareudiastes pacificus Hartlaub & Finsch

INLEIDING De vondst in het Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie van twee stuks van de uitgestorven ral Pareudiastes pacificus Hartlaub & Finsch, waarvan de aanwezigheid klaarblijkelijk nog nooit in de literatuur vermeld werd en derhalve volkomen onbekend was, werd voor mij aanleiding eens na te gaan wat er van deze merkwaardige soort bekend is, en hoeveel materiaal er nog in musea bestaat. GESCHIEDENIS EN MATERIAAL De geschiedenis van de soort begon in 1869 toen de bekende reiziger van het Museum Godeffroy te Hamburg, J. Kubary, op het eiland Savaii, het grootste eiland van de Samoa groep, twee stuks verzamelde, welke hij opstuurde naar Hamburg. Reeds spoedig na ontvangst aldaar werd de soort door Hartlaub & Finsch (1871) beschreven onder de thans nog gebruikte naam. Het feit dat zelfs thans de eigen geslachtsnaam nog niet ten offer is gevallen aan nomenclatuurvereenvoudigers die, als reactie op een periode waarin het gewoonte scheen te worden elke vogelsoort in een eigen genus te plaatsen, ijverig speuren naar overbodige genera, bevestigt het unieke karakter van Pareudiastes pacificus, een soort zonder nauwe verwanten. De laatste jaren is overigens wel verwantschap gesuggereerd met de in 1933 beschreven en van slechts één individu bekende Edithornis silvestris Mayr, een bewoner van het binnenland van San Cristobal, een der Salomons Eilanden (cf. Mayr, 1949; Olson, 1975). Kubary arriveerde te Apia in September of October 1868, en reisde van daar door naar Savaii. Na een verblijf van ruim een jaar verliet hij begin 1870 de Samoa Eilanden. Zoals Hartlaub & Finsch, wier artikel is gedateer

A preliminary revision of the Belonidae

INTRODUCTION Difficulties with the identification of some West-Indian Belonidae and an investigation into the merits of the generic name Strongylura as against Tylosurus led to a revision of the Belonidae, the result of which is published here. As will be seen on the following pages, this revision is by no means final; many problems remain to be solved, much synonymy given here is doubtful, lack of material prevented me from investigating the possible presence of slight geographic variation in the widely distributed species; some apparently valid species are left out altogether (I listed their names on p. 5) because no material has been available, and other names remain doubtful as it has not been possible to examine the type specimens. There is also the possibility that in a few instances I have too recklessly united species — or at least geographically representative forms — which in future may be found to be valid subspecies. Nobody can be more aware of all these shortcomings than I am, but I had to consider the fact that I was leaving Leiden, and rather than run the risk that the notes hitherto assembled would never be published, I chose to present them even in an incomplete form. Considering the great confusion the nomenclature and systematics of the Belonidae are in at the moment, I believe that these notes, however preliminary they may be, will be useful to students of the group. The Belonidae form a well-defined natural group consisting (as my investigations show) of not over about 30 species. Because of its smallness one is inclined to wonder if this group really deserves family status. Though for the moment I follow an authority as Berg (1940, 1955) in considerin