Munia punctulata subsp. blasii Stresemann

Munia punctulata blasii Stresemann

Munia punctulata blasii Stresemann, 1912: 317 (Timor-Deli).

Now Lonchura punctulata blasii (Stresemann, 1912). See Mayr et al., 1968: 377; White and Bruce, 1986: 422–423; Dickinson, 2003: 735; and Payne, 2010: 366.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 720826, adult male, collected at Dili (5 Deli or Dilly, as on label), 08.35S, 125.35E (Times atlas), Timor Island, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, on 12 March 1885, by Carl C. Platen. From the Nehrkorn Collection (no. 3027) via the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: In the original description, Stresemann commented that the type of blasii was a specimen in the Rothschild Collection the label of which had been filled in with an unpublished manuscript name by Wilhelm Blasius and that he was naming this form in Blasius’ memory. There was a close connection between Wilhelm Blasius at the Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum in Braunschweig, Germany, and Adolf Nehrkorn although Nehrkorn’s collection remained separate from

that of the Museum until after his death (Hevers, 2005: 456–457). The collecting done by Carl C. and Margarete Platen in the Philippines was supported jointly by the Braunschweig Museum and Nehrkorn (see Dickinson et al., 1991: 78), and the same was probably also true for this earlier collection in the Lesser Sundas. Apparently, exchanges were made between Nehrkorn and Rothschild and in this way the above holotype bearing Blasius’ label came to Rothschild via Nehrkorn.

Stresemann, in the original description, said that he examined 41 adult examples of blasii in the Rothschild Collection from Flores, Sumba, Sawu (5 Savu), Lomblen, Timor, Kisar (5 Kisser), Leti (5 Letti), Moa, Romang (5 Roma), Babar (5 Babber), and Tanimbar (5 Tenimber). The following 35 fully adult paratypes, mostly collected by Doherty, Everett, and Kühn, are in AMNH: Sumba Island, AMNH 720816–720821, two males, one [male], three females, collected in 1896; these specimens are also the holotype and paratypes of L. p. sumbae (see above). Sawu Island, AMNH 720824, 720825, two females, collected in 1896. Lomblen Island, AMNH 720828, female, collected in 1897. Flores Island, AMNH 720829, 720830, female, sex?, collected in 1896; AMNH 720831, sex?, 1862, collected for A.R. Wallace; AMNH 720832, sex?, no date, also possibly collected for Wallace. Romang Island, AMNH 720837, female, collected in 1902. Leti Island, AMNH 720840–720845, 720847, four males, three females, collected in 1902. Moa Island, AMNH 720848–720850, two males, female, collected in 1902. Kisar Island, AMNH 720852–720856, two males, three females, collected in 1901. Babar Island, AMNH 720859, 720865, two males, collected in 1905. Tanimbar Island, AMNH 720861– 720864, four males, collected in 1901. An additional four specimens, molting into adult plumage, are probable paratypes: Sawu, AMNH 720822, 720823, males, collected in 1896; Leti, AMNH 720846, female, collected in 1902; Babar, AMNH 720866, sex?, collected in 1905. One additional specimen did not come to AMNH with the Rothschild Collection and may have been exchanged by Rothschild. Eight immature specimens are not considered paratypes, as Stresemann

mentioned only adults. Three specimens from Wetar (5 Wetter) Island are not considered paratypes as Stresemann did not list material from Wetar.