As they say in the "Taxonomic Notes" file:
Elliott et al 2020:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339163365
IOC did not deal with this yet. (Although there is a reference to the paper
on their website, added after the text quoted by Peter : "However, Elliott et al. (2020) argue that this neotypification is neither required nor justified and, as such, this revised nomenclature of the Lophorina complex should be rejected in favour of traditional usage." The current situation is a bit of a pity, I think -- the longer we remain with the same name used for two different species by two of the main "authorities", the worse the confusion will be.)
The attribution of the name
superba to Pennant [in Forster] 1781 is unquestionably correct.
I had to deal with this in my
Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds book, and after due discussion decided to retain the more traditional nomenclature
TAXONOMY AND GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION
Irestedt et al. (2017) note that ‘in considering the nomenclatural impact of a shift in application of superba Pennant, we submit, given the splitting of species advocated here, that transferring superba to the most widespread and familiar segregate species serves stability better than keeping it for a localised endemic in the Vogelkop’.
This treatment remains subject to some debate, is not yet nalised, and is not adopted here. Following the split of Lophorina into three species, this species has two races:
1. L. l. latipennis (Rothschild, 1907). Synonyms L. s. connectens Mayr, 1930, and L. s. addenda Iredale, 1948. Mountains of the central cordillera of West Papua from the Weyland Range east to at least the Victor Emanuel and Hindenburg Ranges; eastern limits not yet known. Distinguished by the broad superciliary stripe, which extends across the nape to the other eye, female smaller in all measurements. Males have black central dots in the feathers of the stiffened iridescent blue breast shield (Diamond 1972). The female plumage again parallels the female of a parotia, the species this time being Carola’s Parotia, having a brown crown, olive back, rufous wing feathers, similarly coloured underparts and a prominent pale superciliary stripe.
2. L. l. feminina Ogilvie-Grant, 1915, Ibis Jubilee Supplement 2, 27. Utakwa R, Nassau Range. The central and eastern highlands of PNG, eastwards to the Herzog and Kuper Ranges and perhaps the Ekuti Range, where it presumably meets with L. (s.) minor. Found also on the Huon Peninsula and possibly in the Adelbert Range. Head of female dark brown with a broad whitish superciliary stripe, and white streaking on the forehead, crown and nape; chin and throat whitish. Smaller and lighter than the nominate form, both sexes slightly larger than L. minor. Males have black central dots in the feathers of the stiffened iridescent blue breast shield (Diamond 1972).
I have been in touch with IOC about it, and also proposed using
Western, Superb and Eastern Lophorina for the split rather than the not particularly helpful new vernacular names of Curl-caped and Lesser Lophorina; I particularly wanted to keep a link with the very long established Superb designation, we shall see how all this unfolds.