maderensis / madeirensis (1 Viewer)

[Gonçalo Elias]

Hi all,

The Atlantic island of Madeira is home to several endemic species and subspecies; many of them hold scientific names that are related to the name of this place, but there is one aspect in these scientific names that puzzles me:

The Madeiran Firecrest is called Regulus madeirensis.
The local race of Berthelot's Pipit is Anthus berthelotii madeirensis.

However, the Madeiran subspecies of Chaffinch is Fringilla coelebs maderensis. (it does not have an 'i').

This difference seems a bit illogical. Shouldn't there be some sort of uniformity in the demonyms relating to the same place? Can this situation be regarded as a misspelling? Perhaps it could be related to the way the type specimen was originally labelled?

Any thoughts on this would be welcome.

Thanks.
Gonçalo

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Fringilla coelebs maderensis ...

Gonçalo,
Simply because that´s the way it was originally described/written, by Sharpe in 1888*, as "Fringilla maderensis" (here, also written the same way on p.170); "Hab. Madeira"

However illogical, uniformity isn´t (always) an issue.

As simple as that!

Björn

____________________________________________________________________________________________
* in Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, vol. 12 (1888), not in vol. "22", as claimed by Avibase today (which would have made it from 1893)

 

[MJB]

However illogical, uniformity isnt (always) an issue. As simple as that! Björn

I suspect Sheldon Cooper would be driven to distraction by the schizophrenic problem of opposing the idea that the original spelling, no matter how wrong, is given primacy, yet having to concede that his obsession with creating detailed rules on minor matters had met its match in nomenclatural primacy!
MJB

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

"MJB", as I understand it, it´s not truly "wrong", as maderensis, maderense is used on several taxa; fishes, plants, birds, etc. (all from Madera, today's Madeira).

The Island is still called Madera, in Italian.

 

[michalb]

The Island is still called Madera, in Italian.

And in Polish, too. And I guess in many other languages.

 

[MJB]

"MJB", as I understand it, it´s not truly "wrong", as maderensis, maderense is used on several taxa; fishes, plants, birds, etc. (all from Madera, today's Madeira).

The Island is still called Madera, in Italian.

Yes, I know, but I doubt if Sheldon would have known...!
MJB

 

[Gonçalo Elias]

Thanks everyone for the contributions.