janvanderbrugge
Well-known member
Checking the name Alectoris chukar ordoscensis in several references I accidentally found the OD of A.c.asoica. First impression was: shouldn't this term be "asocia" (in Dutch popular speech there is a term aso's for asocial persons in our society, some were thus behaving themselves in these virus circumstances), but partridges are mainly social birds. The OD, in English that is far from impeccable (why don't they check the text before printing, when it is about a scientific publication ?), contains some curious phrases, like the first one: "there are 46 Alectoris species" Huh? There seems a lot to be adapted in my information, then ...
The description has no explanation of the subspecific name, but the HBW Alive Key came to rescue, as it has happened so often:
asoica (Alectoris chukar): of the Asoi, an ancient people of Asia, often linked with nomadic Iranian tribes such as the Tochars, Scythians and Alans.
The Alectoris survey offered the possibility to add a missing lump to the Key: ordoscensis:
ordoscensis (Alectoris chukar): of Ordos, one of the twelve major subdivisions of Inner Mongolia, on the Ordos Plateau of the Yellow River.
This is the abstract of A.chukar asoica:
"NEW SUB-SPECIES OF CHUKAR PARTRIDGE ALECTORIS CHUKAR
(GRAY 1830) (PHASIANIDAE, GALLIFORMES) FROM NORTH EAST
OF IRAQ WITH BIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
Saman R. Lahony* and Mohamad A. Al-Rawy**
*Natural History Museum, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq
**Biology department, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq
ABSTRACT
Chukar partridge Alectoris chukar (Gray, 1830) is the only species of the 46 species of the genus Alectoris to be found in Iraq. At least there are fourteen subspecies of chukar were described from east Europe, the Middle East and west Asia, two of them were known to be found in Iraq, A.c. Kurdestanica (Meinertzhagen, 1923) from Alpine bio-geographical zone of altitude more than 2000m high, and A.c. werae Zarundny and Loudon, 1904, from the
foothills of altitude not more than 400m. In between these two regions, there is another biogeographical region known as the Irano-toranian zone 400-2000m high. Using morphological, ecological, behavioural, reproduction and hybridization criteria this study discovered a new subspecies A. c. asoica ssp. n. in Irano-toranian zone. The new subspecies differs from A.c.Kurdestanica and A.c. werae in voice , migration, chick coloration, egg size and certain
aspects of ecology. Also this study recorded for the first time the subspecies A.c. sinaica Bonaparte 1858, in the area between Jezira and western desert, the penetration of the Jordanian Irano-toranian zone. The taxonomic status of the new subspecies A. c. asoica ssp.n. has been discussed according to the most common and widely accepted species concept, biological species concept (BSC) and phylogenetic species concept (PSC)."
I also found the solution I still needed for Perdix textilis, the Caille nattée of Temminck. This is the Rain Quail, Coturnix coromandelica, natté is French for plaited, from natter = to pleat, to plait, to weave (mat-pleating), apparently for the pattern of the plumage. I look forward to checking all those Planches Coloriées for more obscure vernacular names, but life is rather short for the quantity of terms. I quote Justin Jansen, co-member of this subforum: a day should have 48 hours at least . . .
Well, I hope all of you are able to maintain the cherished activitities in these days and can get through in acceptable health.
Jan van der Brugge
The description has no explanation of the subspecific name, but the HBW Alive Key came to rescue, as it has happened so often:
asoica (Alectoris chukar): of the Asoi, an ancient people of Asia, often linked with nomadic Iranian tribes such as the Tochars, Scythians and Alans.
The Alectoris survey offered the possibility to add a missing lump to the Key: ordoscensis:
ordoscensis (Alectoris chukar): of Ordos, one of the twelve major subdivisions of Inner Mongolia, on the Ordos Plateau of the Yellow River.
This is the abstract of A.chukar asoica:
"NEW SUB-SPECIES OF CHUKAR PARTRIDGE ALECTORIS CHUKAR
(GRAY 1830) (PHASIANIDAE, GALLIFORMES) FROM NORTH EAST
OF IRAQ WITH BIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
Saman R. Lahony* and Mohamad A. Al-Rawy**
*Natural History Museum, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq
**Biology department, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq
ABSTRACT
Chukar partridge Alectoris chukar (Gray, 1830) is the only species of the 46 species of the genus Alectoris to be found in Iraq. At least there are fourteen subspecies of chukar were described from east Europe, the Middle East and west Asia, two of them were known to be found in Iraq, A.c. Kurdestanica (Meinertzhagen, 1923) from Alpine bio-geographical zone of altitude more than 2000m high, and A.c. werae Zarundny and Loudon, 1904, from the
foothills of altitude not more than 400m. In between these two regions, there is another biogeographical region known as the Irano-toranian zone 400-2000m high. Using morphological, ecological, behavioural, reproduction and hybridization criteria this study discovered a new subspecies A. c. asoica ssp. n. in Irano-toranian zone. The new subspecies differs from A.c.Kurdestanica and A.c. werae in voice , migration, chick coloration, egg size and certain
aspects of ecology. Also this study recorded for the first time the subspecies A.c. sinaica Bonaparte 1858, in the area between Jezira and western desert, the penetration of the Jordanian Irano-toranian zone. The taxonomic status of the new subspecies A. c. asoica ssp.n. has been discussed according to the most common and widely accepted species concept, biological species concept (BSC) and phylogenetic species concept (PSC)."
I also found the solution I still needed for Perdix textilis, the Caille nattée of Temminck. This is the Rain Quail, Coturnix coromandelica, natté is French for plaited, from natter = to pleat, to plait, to weave (mat-pleating), apparently for the pattern of the plumage. I look forward to checking all those Planches Coloriées for more obscure vernacular names, but life is rather short for the quantity of terms. I quote Justin Jansen, co-member of this subforum: a day should have 48 hours at least . . .
Well, I hope all of you are able to maintain the cherished activitities in these days and can get through in acceptable health.
Jan van der Brugge
