Diagnoses of some new forms of neotropical birds

Vol. XXI, ^pp. 191-196

October 20,1908

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

DIAGNOSES OF SOME NEW FORMS OF NEOTROPICA]

BIRDS.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

[By permissionof theSecretaryof theSmithsonianInstitution.]

fa

1. Thryorchilus basultoi sp. nov.

Type from Las Vueltas, Cordillera de Dota, Costa Rica; No. _209,935, U.S.National

Museum;

adult female;

May

21,1908; Francisco Basulto.

Differing from T. browni browni and T. browni ridgwayiⁱⁿ having^the pileum

and

hindneck

and

auricular areadark_{sepia or}nearly clovebrown, strongly contrastedwith the

mummy ^brown

^of back, instead^ofconcolor with the latter; superciliarystripe

much

broader, purewhite; white of underparts

much

_purer,

and

whitemarkings on wings

more

conspicuous;

wing and

^tail decidedly longer, but bill

much

shorter

and

_relatively

stouter. Length (skin),

95mm.

; wing, 52; tail, 32.5; exposed culmen,

LI.5; tarsus, 22.5; middle_toe, 15.

Named

in

compliment

^to

Don

Francisco Basnlto, of Cienfnegos, Cuba, to

whom

^I

am

indebted forvaluable ^assistance during

my

^{recentcollect-}

ingtrip toCostaRica.

2. Coryphotriccus albovittatus distinctus snbsp. nov.

Type from Rio Reventazon^(near

Guayabo

Station), eastern Costa_Rica;

No. _209,464, U.S. National

Museum;

^adultmale;

March

IS,1908; Fran- cisco Basnlto.

Similar to C. albovittatus (Lawrence), from line of

Panama

_Railway,

but decidedly larger; back,etc.,

much

_{grayerolive; yellow}of under_parts paler (lightcanaryyellow instead ^ofnearly

lemon

_yellow);

and

blackish area onside of

head much

broader. Length ^(skin),

155mm.;

wing, 87;

tail, 68; exposed culmen, 15.5; tarsus, 19; middle_toe, 14.

(

THA MNOPHIL US DOLIA TUS.

)

The

_geographicvariations of this species, which inhabitsthewholeof Central

America and

_{tropicalparts} of

Mexico

(except the^Pacificslope^of thelatter), togetherwith Cayenne, Surinam, ^BritishGuiana,Venezuela, Trinidad,

and

Tobago, have not been thoroughly

worked

out. Itis very

30—Proc. Biol. Soc.Wash., Vol.XXI,^1908. (191)

difficult to get together ^sufficient materialto form a basis for such an attempt,

and

^I have been abletostudy the subjectfrommaterial thatis

onlyapproximately adequate.

The

_typelocality of LaniusdoliatusLin- naeus is Cayenne;

and

since the birds of this species from _Venezuela, Trinidad,

and Tobago

are recognizably^different the

name

doliatus

must

berestricted tothosefromtheGuianas. In

Colombia and

^eastern

Panama

the range ^{of tins} species ^is completely interrupted. ^T. radiatus _nigri- cristatus (and T. radiatus albicans, ^if really distinct) entirely replacing

it,

and

itdoes not reappear ^{until western}

Panama

_(Cbiriqui) isreached,

whence

northward to the States of Tamaulipas

and

San Luis Potosi

on

the eastern side

and

_{Chiapas on} the Pacific side of

Mexico

the_species occurs throughout^{the hot}

and

_temperatezones. Notwithstanding ^their wide geographic separation from their South

American

representatives, T. doliatus doliatus of Cayenne, Surinam,

and

British

Guiana and

T.

doliatus fraterculusBerlepsch

and

Llartert,* of Venezuela, Trinidad,

and

Tobago,

some

specimens fromthe Central

American

area_closelyresemble oneortheotherofthe two South

American

forms.

On

_{the whole,}

how-

ever, the Central

American

birds are obviously different; but

owing

^to the very considerable

amount

of individual variation

among

specimens from almost

any

locality within the area designated^{it is}very ^{difficult to}

make

outgeographic forms

which

can besatisfactorilycharacterized.

The

average difference incoloration between specimens from the Atlantic

and

Pacific slopes, respectively, ^isverymarked, ^those from the former_being

much

_darker, this darknessofcoloration reaching^its

maximum

_develop-

ment

in Honduras, where, however, most specimens are hardly^ifatall distinguishable fromthedarker examples from^eastern Mexico. InYuca- tan, however, ^{the birds of} this species are all light colored, resembling those fromthePacificcoastdistrict

much more

_closelythan_theydothose of

Honduras and

the eastern parts^of

Guatemala and

Mexico.

The

differ-

enceincolorationbetween specimens fromopposite^{sides of}the continent

is

much

less

marked

aswell as less constant in Costa Ricathanin the countries farther northward,

many

^{of those from the Pacific side} being quite ^asdark as

some

ofthose from the Atlantic side.

In_short,while puzzling exceptions^tothe general ^ruleoccur,^itappears, from the materia] examined,^{that three} fairly definite geographic forms ofthis species

may

^be

^made

^outinCentral America, two^ofwhich _appar- ently have notbeen

named.

Theseare

(1₎ Thamnophilus^doliatusmexicanusAllen. Atlantic_slope,fromsouth- ern Tamaulipas ^toCosta Rica, ^of winch T. intermedins

Ridgwayt

repre- sentsthedarkextreme.

Type

locality, Jalapa, VeraCruz.

(2) Thamnophilus ^doliatus pacijicus Ridgway. ^Pacific slope, from Chiapas^{to western}

Panama. (An

earlier

name

forthis

may

^be

^Thamno-

philus ^rutilus Bonaparte,^t described as from Guatemala; but ^it being

*Nuvit.Zool.,ix, no. 1, April10, L902, 70 (type locality, Altagracia, Orinoco K..

Venezuela; coll.TringMus.).

TProc. U.S.Nat. Mus., x,sig. 37,Aug.6,L888, 581 (Truxillo, Honduras; coll. V.S.

Nat. Mus.).

tProc. Zool. Soc.Lond.ls::7.117.

Ridgway — _Diagnoses

_of

_{New Forms}

ofNeotropical Birds.

193

impossible^totellwhetherthisrepresents the Atlantic or the^Pacificform,

itseemsbetter togive the presentforma

new name.

(3) Thamnophilus ^doliatusyucatanensis Ridgway.

3.

Thamnophilus

doliatus pacificus subsp. nov.

Type from Chinandega, Nicaragua; No. ^{210,721, coll.} U. S. National

Museum

; adult

male

; F. Hicks.

Similarto T. d. me.ricanus Allen, but adult

male

with under _partsde- cidedly paler, the black bars decidedly, sometimes_very

much,

^narrower thanthewhiteinterspaces,black streaks onthroat verynarrow. Length (skin),

144mm.;

wing, 67; tail, 58.5; culmen, 18.5; tarsus, 25; middle toe, ^15.

4.

Thamnophilus

^doliatus yucatanensis subsp. nov.

Type from

Temax, Yucatan

^{; No.} 147,405,^coll.U. S.National

Museum;

adultmale; 1883; G. F.

Gaumer.

Similar to T. d. pacificus, but adult

male

with black bars on under parts usually narrower; adult female with upper parts (except pileum) averaging

more

ochraceous (less rufescent), the wings (sometimes back

and

tail also) showing

more

or less distinct indications of dusky ^bars.

Length(skin),

168mm.

;wing,73; tail,65; culmen, 10.5; tarsus,27; mid- dle toe, ^16.

5.

Dysithamnus,

^mentalis septentrionalis subsp. nov.

Type from

Choctum, Vera

Paz, Guatemala; No. 30,784,U. S.National

Museum;

^{O. Salvin.}

Similar to D. mentalis semicinereus (Sclater), of Colombia, but ^decid- edly smaller; adult

male

with upper parts paler, adult female withsides

and Hanks

paler ^olive.

Wing, 58.5mm.;

tail,38.5; culmen, 15; tarsus, 19; middle_toe, 11.5.

Range.

— _Panama

to

Guatemala

(towestern

Ecuador

_also?).

6.

Dysithamnus

mentalis oberi subsp. nov.

Type from Tobago; No. 115,046,U. S. National

Museum;

^adult male;

May;

^{F.A. Ober.}

SimilartoD. mentalis semicinereusbutstilllarger,

and

coloration paler

and

duller.

Wing, 64.5mm.;

tail, 44; exposed culmen, ^15; tarsus, 20;

middle_toe, 11.5mm.

7.

Thamnistes

anabatinus saturatus subsp. nov.

Type fromBonilla, CostaRica (Atlanticside, 2,600^ft,alt,); No._199,066, U. S. National

Museum;

AprilS, 1905; R. Ridgway.

Differing from T. anabatinus anabatinus, of

Guatemala and

southern Mexico, ⁱⁿ

much

darker

and

less ochraceouscoloration, the wings

much

browner(lessrufescent). Length (skin),

129mm.;

wing, 67; ^tail, 48.5;

culmen, 19; tarsus, 20.5; middletoe, ^12.

8.

Drymophila

grisea margaritensis subsp.

now

Type from Margarita ^Island, Venezuela; ^No. 151,709, ^coll. U. S. Na- tional

Museum;

^adultmale; July 10, 1895; Lieut. Wirt Robinson, U.^S.A.

Similar in coloration to D. _grisea tobagensis (Dahnas), but decidedly smaller.

Winy

^ofadult male, 53-54.5mm.; tail,46-49; exposed culmen,

L4-14.5; tarsus, 20-21; middle toe, 11-11.5.

0.

Myrmeciza

^boucardi

panamensis

subsp.

now

Type from

Panama

(line of

Panama

_Railway); No. _53,790, F. S. Na- tional

Museum;

^J.

^McLeannan.

Nearest toM. boucardi swainsoni, hut adult male with gray outsides^of chestdarker and

more

extensive, the

tawny

^ofHanks

and

undertail-coverts alsodeeper.

10.

Myrmelastes

^cassini sp.

now

Type from Turbo, northwestern Colombia; No. 21,739, ^coll. F. S. Na- tional

Museum;

^{A. Schott.}

Similarto

M.

_maculifer (Hellmayr),* ^but

much

_paler, the adult male havingthe back, rump, etc., light mars instead of deep

vandyke

brown, thehead _(all round) dark ^{slatecolorinstead} of slate-black,

and

thechest, breast,

and abdomen

_slate-grayinsteadof blackishslate. Wing, 69.5mm.;

tail, 42; tarsus, 29; middletoe, ^17.

Besides the_type, there areinthe National

Museum

collection anadult female from

Turbo and

another (erroneously

marked "d

^1" by ^{the col-} lector) from_Cascajal,Code,

Panama.

This form _agreeswith

M.

_maculiferin its relativelyvery short^{tail (as}

compared

^with

M.

exsul

and M.

exsiil occidentalism,

and

also in having

allthe wing-coverts

marked

witha terminalwhite_spot,

and may

he only subspecifically distinct^; hut the coloration is so conspicuously ^different thatat present, oruntil actual intermediates are found, ^I prefer to desig- nate itbya binomial.

11.

Gymnocichla

nudiceps sancta=martae subsp. nov.

Type from Santa Marta, Colombia; No.28,11)3, U.S.National

Museum.

Similarto G. nudiceps nudiceps, but adultmalewithunderwing-coverts broadlymarginedwith white, instead of beinguniform black, and white terminalmargins^to wing-coverts broader. Length(skin),

161mm.

; wing, 81; tail, 60; culmen, 21; tarsus,30; middletoe, 10.

12. Formicarius moniliger intermedius subsp. nov.

Type from ^{forest near}

Manatee

_Lagoon,British

Honduras;

^No. 27,686, coll. Carnegie

Museum

; adultmale; ^Feb. 28, L906;

Morton

F. Peck.

Most

likeF. m._pallidus (Lawrence), from Yucatan, but general color ofupperpartsdarker and

more

rufescenl

(raw-umber brown

^{instead of} between broccoli

brown

and Isabella color), that of under parts clearer gray

(mouse

gray instead ^ofdrab _gray).

*Mij^rinilashg exsulmaculifer Hellmayr, Novit. Zool.,xiii,no.•_',July,1906,340,342

IParamba,^a.w. Ecuador; ^coll.TringMws.i.

This formisevidently quitedistinct specificallyfromMyrnueiza exsulSclater⁽ .'/.

immaculatuSclaterandSalvin

=

M. intermediaCherrie!).

Ridgway — _Diagnoses

_of

_{New Forms}

_ofNeotropical Birds.

195

13. Formicarius moniliger

panamensis

subsp. nov.

Type from

Panama

(Lion^HillStation?); No.5:;, 771),coll. U.S.National

Museum;

^adultmale; ^J.

McLeannan.

Similar to F. moniliger hoffmanni (Cabanis), ^of southwestern Costa Rica

and

northwestern

Panama,

hut averaging smaller,

and

coloration constantly ^lighter, with underpartsstrongly suffused with^olive

and

_huffy

and

color of under tail-coverts lighter,

more

_{tawny. Length} (skin), 169.5mm.; wing, 87; tail,55; culmen, 21; tarsus, 30; middletoe, 18.5.

14. Delattria henrica salvini subsp. nov.

Type from^Galderas,Volcan de

Fuego

(7,000^to8,000ft.),Guatemala;

No._4(i,304,

American Museum

Natural_History; September, 1873;Osbert Salvin.

Much

darkerthan D. henrica henrica; similaringeneral coloration ^to D. henrica brevirostris, butsmaller, withrelativelylongerhill,the dusky auricular-suhorhital area

much

darker (brownish-black), the post-ocular streak

much

_broader,pure white,

and

margined above by^{alineof black.}

Adult male (type).— Length ^(skin),

110mm.;

wing, (17; tail, 40.5; ex- posed culmen,^20.

An

adultmalein the Biological Surveycollection,from San Cristobal, Chiapas (No. 155,236, U. S. National

Museum,

September^17, 1895, Nel- son

and Goldman),

^{is referred} provisionally^{to this} form. It agrees ⁱⁿ coloration with the _type, but is smaller, measuring ^{as follows:} Length (skin),

106mm.;

wing, 63.5; tail, 38.5; exposed culmen, ^19.

15. Delattria henrica brevirostris subsp. nov.

Type from San ^Sabastian,Jalisco,western Mexico; No. 155,982,U. S.

National

Museum

(Biological Survey^{collection); adult}male;

March

17, 1897; Nelson

and Goldman.

Similar to D. henrica henrica, ^of southeastern

Mexico

(States of

Vera

Cruz

and

Oaxaca), but with ^bill relatively

much

_shorter,color of under parts darker

and more

uniform _(deep

mouse

_grayorbrownishslategray),

and

feathers ofthroat withwhitish margins

much

narrower

and

lessdis- tinct.

Length^(skinoftype),

118mm.

; wing,70; tail,44; exposed culmen,^19.

16. Stenopsis tobagensis sp. nov.

Type from Tobago; No. 74,877, ^coll. U. S. National

Museum;

^adult male; ^{F. A. Ober.}

Similarto S. insularis

Richmond,*

ⁱⁿ possessing asingle

narrow dusky band

across themiddleof tail

and

in having ^{the inner}

webs

of all the rectrices except middle pair mostlywhite, but coloration

much

darker

and

lessbuffy,

wing

longer,and tail decidedly ^{shorter. Differs} from S.

cayennensisin lighter coloration,

much

greater

amount

of white onlateral rectrices,

and

inshorter

wing and

^tail.

Wing, 137mm.;

tail, 113;culmen, 13; tarsus, 16; middle toe, ^15.

•Stenopsis cayennensis ^insularis Richmond, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.,XV,June25, 1902,159(Curacao;coll.U.s.Nat. Mus.).