Spoon-billed Sandpiper (1 Viewer)

Hi,

The scientific name of Spoon-billed Sandpiper in all checklists but one is Eurynorhynchus pygmeus; only OBC that uses Calidris pygmea (Avibase). TiF checklist is using Ereunetes pygmeus. However when I come across this article (Zöckler et al. Wader Study Group Bull. 117, 1–8; 2010), they used the name Calidris pygmeus instead of the widespread name Eurynorhynchus pygmeus. I am sure that the last authors did that for a reason, so what is it?

I bit of googling come up with this from Wikipedia, I know it is not a source, but that’s all I found:

• Genus Eurynorhynchus (doubtfully valid)
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus / Calidris pygmeus

Click to expand...

What is that means? Or apparently this species had troubles even in its name, or may be I get it wrong somewhere.

Just want to know, thanks

Even though I am not an expert in the field, I am going to bet that if assigned to Calidris, the specific part of the name becomes pygmea, not pygmeus.

This paper shows a phylogenic tree according to which the position of Spoon-billed Sand is unresolved. Again, without being an expert, I would interpret that as a "wait and see", acknowledging that it is definitely possible that the species does not deserve a genus of its own. It probably will come down to an interpretation of whether the very different bill is a recently derived character or if it is a cause to place this one in its own genus.

Niels

Well the ICZN says it should currently be: Eurynorhynchus Nilsson 1821 Ornithol. Svec. 2 (1) : 29 (Gender masculine) (Type species by monotypy and through Opinion 67 and Article 67e (1961 Code) Platalea pygmaea Linnaeus, 1758 Syst. Nat. (ed. 10): 140 Direction 43. (Official Lists and Indexes of Names and Works in Zoology , Melville and Smith 1987).


“Nilsson stated that this was only a substitute name for (nom. nov. pro) the name Platalea pygmaea Linnaeus, 1758. Under the present proposal Platalea pygmaeaLinnaeus and not Eurynorhynchus griseus Nilsson will be the type species.”

I see pygmaea used a lot but the original by Linnaeus in the 10th edition was pygmea.

Calidris Merrem, 1804 type species, canutus

Ereunetes is Illiger from 1811 Prodromos Syst. Mam. Aves, and the type species petrificatus which = pusillas

Eurynorhynchus Nilsson 1821 type species is griseus which =pygmeus.

Calidris (f.) Merrem 1804 Allg.Lit.Zeitung 2 no.168 col.542

Eurynorhynchus (m.) Nilsson 1821 Orn.Svecica 2 p.29


From Linne:
Platalea:
Ajaja. 2. etc.
pygmea. 3. P. corpore fupra fufco fubtus albo. Mus. Ad. Fr. 2. p… Habitat Surinami.
Magnitudo Passeris.
Mus. Ad. Fr. is Bird collection of King Adolf Fredrik.


EURYNORHYNCHUS.
Rostrum mediocre, subieres apice dilatatissimo,
subangulato. Narrs parvae lineares, juxta basin rostri, distantes. Pedes breves digitis usque ad basin fissis,
EURYNORHYNCHUS GRISEUS, 1 mihi.
DIAGN: Supra fusco*griseus,- subtus albus.
SYNONYMA.
Plataha Pygmea, Lin. Syst. Nat. I. p. 231. n. 3. Lath. Ind. Orn. II. p. 669. 3. Thunberg Stockh. Wet. tensk. Acad. Handl. 1816. p. 194. t. VI.
DESCRIPTIO.
Magnitude* Tringa Temnvickii. Rostrum pollicare, capite parum longius. Pedes tetradaayli, dígito postico brevi, plane fissi. Caput supra fuscescens marginibus pennarum albidis. Dorsum et alarum tenrice» fusco-grisea striis ad radies saturatioribus. Avis subtus alba. Rcmiges fusca:, secundariis pallidioribu» albo late marginatis. Cauda alls compositis brevior, subfusca reftricibus lateralibus albidis.
http://books.google.com/books?id=2D9KAAAAYAAJ&dq=Eurynorhynchus+griseus&source=gbs_navlinks_s .

Thanks to both of you for the explanation.

Mohamed