Dendrophila lilacea Whitehead

Dendrophila lilacea Whitehead

Dendrophila lilacea Whitehead, 1897: 49 ( Samar) .

Now Sitta oenochlamys lilacea ( Whitehead, 1897) View in CoL . See Dickinson, 2006: 235, Dickinson et al., 2006b: 293, and Harrap, 2008b: 143–144.

SYNTYPES: AMNH 684102, male, and AMNH 684103, female, collected at Bonga, Samar Island, Philippines on 21 June 1896, by John Whitehead (nos. B.653 and B.654, respectively). From the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: In the original description, Whitehead applied the name to Samar birds but did not designate a type; therefore, all Samar specimens would be syntypes. The above two specimens are the only Samar specimens that came to AMNH and they are marked as ‘‘Type s’’ and ‘‘Type ♀ ’’ and initialed by Whitehead. Hartert (1920a: 440) listed them both as types ( 5 syntypes) and both bear Rothschild type labels. Because Whitehead applied the name to Samar birds, specimens from other islands within his given range ( Leyte and Basilan islands) would not have type status. The type locality, Bonga, is shown on the map in Whitehead (1899: 83) and noted by Dickinson et al. (1991: 416) to be ‘‘probably at or near Bagacay, 12.50N, 125.13E.’’

Dickinson (2006: 235), and Dickinson et al. (2006b: 293) discussed whether to consider S. oenochlamys a species separate from S. frontalis , with lilacea a subspecies of S. oenochlamys , and pointed out the need for a molecular study to clarify the relationships among the various Philippine forms of Sitta . Harrap (2008b: 143–144) retained species status for oenochlamys .