samaliyae ... ? (1 Viewer)

Now let´s have a short look at the obscure name …

samaliyae as in:
● the subspecies Ochrospiza/Crithagra/Serinus mozambica/mozambicus samaliyae WHITE 1947 (here) as "Serinus mozambicus samaliyæ", no dedication, nor explanation given
● the subspecies (Aplopelia) Columba larvata samaliyae (here) WHITE 1948 as "Aplopelia simplex samaliyæ", ditto; no dedication, nor explanation given

The first Bird, the Serin, was collected in 1939, in Southern Belgian Kongo, and the latter, the Dove, was collected in 1948, in Northwestern Rhodesia. Both in the "Mwinilunga district" (in today´s Zambia).

I would guess it´s an eponym as Samaliya is still today a not uncommon name (both as First- or Family name) in that part of Africa. Or possibly a Toponym? Note that there was (for example) a; Samaliya (Kiganja) Tea Estate, near Masaka (in central Uganda).

Or does anyone know the explanation of this all unknown scientific name?

While revising some of the birds of Mr Charles White, I gave this scientific name a second try, simply trying, somehow, to figure out, stretching my brain to understand, the all unknown, all unexplained scientific name samaliyae ... could it possibly origin from the (Bantu) Nyungwe word msamaliya meaning Samaritan?

As in some of Mr White's local collector/s possibly being (a) good samaritan/s ... bringing him New birds? Plausibly even a female collector (considering the ending -ae) ... ?

A pure speculation, based on nothing more than a guess!

For what it's worth. If anything at all ...

/B

Yet another, last try ...

Aplopelia larvata samaliyae
White (1965:163) quotes the type-locality of this dove as Mwinilunga, but this is erroneous. In his original description (White, 1948, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 69:20) he gave the type-locality as Kansoku forest in Mwinilunga District. Benson et al. (1971) gives the co-ordinates of Kansoku as 12°22'S., 24°05'E., following Benson and White (1975). These co-ordinates place Kansoku on the Zambia/Angola border, where there appears to be no such named locality. However, there are three rivers in this general area of south-western Mwinilunga District named respectively Kansoka, Kansoko and Kansoku. White (in litt.) tells me that he collected the specimen on a stream where the Mwinilunga plateau slopes rather sharply to the drainage of the Lusongwa River. The Kansoko (sic) Stream exactly fits this description, and is a tributary of the Lusongwa; the type-locality would be at about 12°14'S., 24°10'E. ...

[from the Zambia Museums Journal, vol.5, 1980 (here)]​

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Thereby I would assume it would be more worth looking for the origin of samaliyae (eponym? toponym?), in that particular area, somewhere in the cross-road/border region of Eastern Zambia, Northwestern Angola and Southern Congo.

Again: For what it´s worth.

/B

Could it be somehow be related to here, where it is written:

It includes 'spirits' associated associated with sorcery-hunting and healing 'Christian' churches which have been introduced into Zambia by African evangelists. These 'Christian' ngulu spirits are sometimes called Ncimya or Samaliya, or Mutumwa.

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Thanks Martin. I am intrigued and impressed by the samaliya spirits of nature, and have adjusted the Key entry accordingly.

As Charles M. N. White (1914–1978), according to the Paper in Contemporary Legend*, (New Series) 10, 2007, on top of birds, had an "interest in indigenous linguistics and customs", also dealing with "myths", I would say that Martin's supposed explanation of samaliyæ (as in "Serinus mozambicus samaliyæ" WHITE 1947 and "Aplopelia simplex samaliyæ" WHITE 1948) is a highly likely one, the best one this far.

:t:

Björn
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*Contemporary Legend, (New Series) 10, 2007, see link in Post #1 thread The full name of "Charles M. N. White"; (p.8 and onwards), or here.
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