HBWAlive Key; mission accomplished or mission impossible? (7 Viewers)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

pseudogillia

In today's Key we find:

pseudogillia
Etymology undiscovered (cf. Gr. ψευδος pseudos false; γιλος gilos with different eyes (perhaps an oblique reference to Hymenops perspicillatus), or genus Fringilla Linnaeus,1758, finch); "8. Platyrhynchus pseudogillia, Less. — Corpore albo; tænia nigra ad genas; alis brunneis; dorso griseo-rufo; cauda nigra, alba marginata. — Long.: 5 unc. — Hab. Brazil. — Mus. Rupifortensis." (Lesson 1839, Rev. Zool., II, 101) (syn. Fluvicola albiventer).

Could Lesson's invalid "pseudogillia" simply, possibly be a shortened version (and a typo, alt. printers error), originating in Motacilla ... !?!

To me, when looking at photos of the bird itself (today's Black-backed Water tyrant Fluvicola albiventer), it does remind me somewhat of a Wagtail (even if a bit short-tailed) ... far more so than any Finch (Fringilla/Fringillidae).

As in a [South American (shorter)] pseudo-wagtail?

Just an idea, a guess, nothing else ... for what it's worth.

Björn

PS. Not to be involved; the Sea snails in Pseudocilla BOETTGER 1901 (in Pyramidellidae)

 

[l_raty]

To me, when looking at photos of the bird itself (today's Black-backed Water tyrant Fluvicola albiventer [...]

Somehow, I fail to see how Lesson's description can be construed as matching that species. (No black band on cheek, no brown wings, no rufous-grey back, no white in the tail.)

Fluvicola nengeta may be a better match ?

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

What do I know? Latin isn't my home ground (as we all know by now, proven repeatedly, time after time), I just followed/trusted the identity, as given in the HBW Alive Key, and looked at some photos, and guessed, simply trying to come up with a (somewhat clever, or at least plausible) explanation.

If misidentified in the Key ... well, then it's a whole new ball game.

If so, forget about my (silly) Motacilla suggestion; " ... for what it's worth" = Nothing.

/B

 

[l_raty]

8. Platyrhynchus pseudogillia, Less. — Corpore albo; tænia nigra ad genas; alis brunneis; dorso griseo-rufo; cauda nigra, alba marginata. — Long.: 5 unc. — Hab. Brazil. — Mus. Rupifortensis.

= 8. Platyrhynchus pseudogillia, Less. — With the body white; a black band at the cheek; the wings brown; the back greyish-rufous; the tail black, bordered with white. — Length: 5 inches — Inhabits Brazil. — Musée de Rochefort.

PS - Not criticizing your suggestion; merely offering my feelings about the ID, which was indeed obviously not yours.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

No shadow on your part Laurent.

Though, wouldn't "Fluvicola cursoria" be an even better match ... ?

Even further away from any Wagtail, more resembling a Wheatear!

/B

 

[l_raty]

This is synonym of nengeta, I believe.

 

[James Jobling]

Yes, Platyrhynchus pseudogillia Lesson, 1839, is synonymised with Fluvicola climazura (Vieillot, 1824) in Cory & Hellmayr 1927, Cat. Bds. Americas, V, pp. 83-84, which I misidentified as Fluvicola pica albiventer (von Spix, 1825) (p. 82) (probably turned the wrong page over!) Fluvicola climazura is correctly associated with Fluvicola nengeta in Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Sp. Bds. South America, p. 343, and in Peters' Check-list (ed. Traylor), VIII, p. 180. I'll just walk out onto the balcony with my service revolver!
PS. Fluvicola cursoria Swainson, 1831, is a synonym of Fluvicola nengeta.
PPS. I think a corruption/misspelling of Motacilla has some merit, since the fluvicolines are quite wagtail-like (I saw F. pica in Trinidad and was impressed by the habitat, plumage and habits).

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

... I'll just walk out onto the balcony with my service revolver!...

Unloaded I hope!

Better to look here.

If of any use?

 

[l_raty]

I'll just walk out onto the balcony with my service revolver!

I'd (obviously) feel more than bad if anybody ended up doing this type of thing because of one of my remarks.
Thus, please, please, close that window, and give this revolver to -- well -- anybody that might be in the room with you. And don't walk down in the street looking for bullets...!

 

[mb1848]

I think a corruption/misspelling of Motacilla has some merit, since the fluvicolines are quite wagtail-like

Please see article:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...ssible_Cultural_Implications_for_Conservation .

 

[mb1848]

the fluvicolines are quite wagtail-like

. Harcourt in 1851 said: The Gray Wagtail is very common, frequenting the cisterns attached to houses, as well as the streams, where, from its
familiar habits amongst the washerwomen, it has been admitted, in Madeiran phraseology, into the ranks of the sisterhood, under the title of " Lavandeira." Later, Lavandeira amarella.

 

[l_raty]

"Lavandière" also used to be a French vernacular for the white wagtail.
E.g.: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35219129

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Whoops, thanks Mark and Laurent!

To me, that does talk in favour of my (typo-) pseudo-wagtail theory ...

Björn

PS. I hope James has left the balcony, by now safe in his chamber, soothingly reading BirdForum.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Anna's (Black-headed/Brandt's) Mountain-Finch

Here´s a quick attempt/look at the still unexplained ...

annae as in:
• the invalid "Leucosticte annæ" SUSHKIN 1906 (here), ... no dedication, nor any explanation

In today's Key we find:

annae
[...]
● Female eponym; dedicatee not yet identified (Sushkin 1906, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 16, 56); perhaps after a relation of Sushkin or of his companion and collector Tchetverikov (syn. Leucosticte brandti).

One conceivable, possible Anna (Анна), or two (!?), in close connection to Petr Petrovich Sushkin (Петр Петрович Сушкин), 1868–1928 ... is to be found/seen here (all in Russian!)

His daughter Анна Петровна Сушкина (Anna Petrovna Sushkina), or his/her (?) Mother Анна Ивановна (Anna Ivanovna), either one, in my mind, a possible dedicatee ...

Or not?

I haven't got a clue of the context. Russian is ... well, (at least for me); very, very hard-to-understand.

I guess/hope we can rely on Laurent (or someone else knowing Russian) to explain it to us ... ?

However; enjoy!

Björn

 

[l_raty]

His daughter Анна Петровна Сушкина (Anna Petrovna Sushkina), or his/her (?) Mother Анна Ивановна (Anna Ivanovna), either one, in my mind, a possible dedicatee ...

[Here], Anna Petrovna is said to be born in 1907, thus she wouldn't even have been conceived in Feb 1906 when the name was published. If correct, this would presumably eliminate her from the candidates.



Sushkin's family according to: http://isaran.ru/?q=ru/person&guid=A9A8CB49-0878-181D-D2FC-EFBAF11AFCB5 (you must open the "Биографическая справка" tab to see this text) -

Семья: первая жена - Анна Ивановна Сушкина (урожд. Кулакова, 1881-1947), вторая жена - Надежна Николаевна Сушкина (урожд. Попова, 1889-1975), микробиолог и почвовед; дочь от первого брака - Анна Петровна (Ася), гидробиолог.

= Family: first wife - Anna Ivanovna Sushkina (née Kulakova, 1881-1947), second wife - Nadezhna Nikolaevna Sushkina (née Popova, 1889-1975), microbiologist and soil scientist; daughter from first marriage - Anna Petrovna (Asya), hydrobiologist.



Possibly a bit out of context, but:
http://www.internat-mid.ru/doki/okbiokomb_chetverikovss.html
Анна Ивановна was apparently also the second wife of geneticist Сергей Сергеевич Четвериков (Sergei Sergeevich Chetverikov) -- Sushkin's former 'companion and collector'. (Her birth date is here given as 1882 -- probably due to different calendars being used.)

Cf. also https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Четвериков,_Сергей_Сергеевич

В 1911 году Сергей Сергеевич развёлся со своей первой женой, Еленой Яковлевной, и женился на Анне Ивановне Сушкиной (урождённой Кулаковой, 1881—1947), которая также разошлась со своим первым мужем — академиком Петром Петровичем Сушкиным (1868—1928). У неё была дочь Ася (Анна Петровна Сушкина), которая стала падчерицей Сергея Сергеевича и с трёхлетнего возраста воспитывалась в его семье.

= In 1911, Sergei Sergeevich divorced his first wife, Elena Yakovlevna, and married Anna Ivanovna Sushkina (née Kulakova, 1881—1947), who also separated from her first husband — academician Petr Petrovich Sushkin (1868—1928). She had a daughter Asya (Anna Petrovna Sushkina), who became Sergei Sergeevich's stepdaughter and from the age of three was raised in his family.

(NB - The dates here are indeed consistent with the daughter being born after 1906. (She was 3 in 1911.))



The mother might certainly to be the person we're after.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

"Leucosticte annæ"

Quick as a Cobra, Laurent! :t:

In my mind that makes his wife; "Anna Ivanovna Sushkina (née. Kulakova, 1881-1947)" a highly likely candidate.

Cheers

/B

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Confirmation of the Birth year 1907, of the Daughter (i.e. not "our" Anna) ...

A long piece (with many nice photos) on the Daughter, who celebrated her 100th Birtday on the 4th of March 2007, and her surrounding Family (incl. her Mother/"our" Anna); is found in the Paper СЕВЕРНЫЕ МАРШРУТЫ АННЫ СУШКИНОЙ (*NORTHERN ROUTES OF ANNA SUSHKINA), Биография современника (*Biography of the contemporary) by А.Д.Виталь (*A. D. Vital), in ПРИРОДА, No.10, 2008 (pp. 67-77).

*English translations per Google Translate.

/B

PS. Laurent, I have already sent it to you by e-mail.
--

 

[mb1848]

leocadiae:
Key:

Leocadia (fl. 500) great-grandmother of St Gregory Bishop of Tours and descendent of the martyr of Lyons Vettius Epagathus (Martin Schneider in litt.) (subsp. Heliomaster constantii).

Leocadia was St. Gregory’s paternal grandmother wife of Georgius. She came from the family of Senator Leocadius of Bourges Gregory traced back Leocadius’ family to Vettius Epagatus who suffered martyrdom in Lyon in 177. Late Latin name which might be derived from the name of the Greek island of Leucadia or from Greek λευκος (leukos)meaning "bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name). Saint Leocadia from Toledo Spain virgin martyr in 304. No connection. Mulsant was from Lyon and the OD was published in a Lyon journal.
http://www.zoonomen.net/cit/RI/SP/Troc/troc00146a.jpg .
The subspecies may be named for the bright, clear, white of the undersides in comparison with constantii constantii. ??
Wetmore 1944 says “…the paler race A. c. leocadiae, Griscom proposes Bolson, Costa Rica," as the type area of constantii.
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=268551 .

 

[mb1848]

Mutevodia.
Key: https://www.hbw.com/dictionary/key-to-scientific-names-in-ornithology?name=Mutevodia .
Mut- from mutare? and Evodia (Greek Εὐοδία, meaning unclear, but possibly "sweet fragrance". There was a tree genus of this name also called the Bee bee tree.
On M. lugubris:
OD: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/95545#page/346/mode/1up .
The OG OD: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/19377#page/237/mode/1up .
Richmond says about Salvadori version "No description here!"
http://www.zoonomen.net/cit/RI/SP/Otis/otis00538a.jpg .
Some people date lugubris from Salvadori 1889:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/104662#page/76/mode/1up .

 

[James Jobling]

Mutevodia. I agree with your reasoning, Mark, and think this is headed in the right direction (see my amended entry). The explanation is certainly in keeping with other Iredale creations.