AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES Published by Number 1367 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY November 18, 1947 NEW YORK CITY STUDIES OF PERUVIAN BIRDS. NO. 52 THE GENERA SERICOSSYPHA, CHLOROSPINGUS, CNEMOSCOPUS, HEMISPINGUS, CONOTHRA UPIS, CHLORORNIS, LAMPROSPIZA, CISSOPIS, AND SCHISTOCHLAMYS BY JOHN T. ZIMMER I am again greatly indebted to Mr. are said to be like those of the chatterers Emmet R. Blake of the Chicago Natu- (Cotingidae), and several authors have ral History Museum; Messrs. James suggested its position in that family, which Bond and Rodolphe de Schauensee of the the "nine-primaried" wing will not permit. Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- Its general appearance also is cotingine, delphia; Dr. Herbert Friedmann of the which may be taken as an expression of the United States National Museum; Mr. extreme variability of the tanager family. William H. Phelps of Caracas, Venezuela; The scutellation of the tarsi is unusual and Mr. W. E. C. Todd of the Carnegie since there are prominent quadrate scales Museum, Pittsburgh, for the loan of on the outside of the distal portion of the critical specimens and notes on material planti-tarsi, sometimes halfway towards in the various institutions, which have the heel, a condition I have not seen in been very helpful in the studies presented other tanagers. The nostrils are rounded herewith. and non-operculate, and the rictal bristles Names of colors are capitalized when are weak. Some of these features show direct comparison has been made with resemblance to the characters of the Icter- Ridgway's "Color standards and color idae, but the general shape of the bill is far nomenclature." from typically icterine, although certain genera like Oreopsar and Gnorimopsar show a degree of similarity. Sericossypha albo-cristata (Lafresnaye) The east-Brazilian species, loricata, Tangara (Lamprotes) albo-cristatus LAFRES- -usually placed in a separate genus, Comp- NAYE, 1843 (May), Rev. Zool., vol. 6, p. 132- Colombia; [ci]; Mus.Comp.Zo6l.,Cambridge. sothraupis, agrees with albo-crista in Sericossypha somptuo8a LESSON, 1844 (Aug. these various external morphological char- 15), Echo du Monde Sav., llme ann., 2me sem., acters and disagrees principally in having no. 13, col. 302-"le P6rou A Quito"; 1e]; the nostrils exposed, but the covered nos- Abeille Coll., Bordeaux. trils of albo-cristata are hardly more than a Chachapoyas, 2 ci; Cumpang [Com- natural consequence of the dense cap of pan], 1 [91; Tendalpata, Vitoc, 1 9. the species and not of generic value. I This beautiful species shows no apparent believe, therefore, that Compsothraupis differentiation throughout its range from should be submerged and the east-Brazilian eastern Colombia to central Perd. Ad- species called Sericossypha loricata (Lich- ditional Peruvian records are from Tamia- tenstein). This species suggests some of pampa, [above] Huayabamba, near Hua- in coloration -as well lama, Tambo de Aza, and (sight record) the Icteridae general Ray-Urmana. as in the morphological characters men- The systematic position of Sericossypha tioned. At any rate, Sericossypha is in needs to be confirmed by anatomical need of internal examination which may studies for which I do not have the nec- confirm its place in the Thraupidae or essary material. The habits of the bird show that it has other affinities, elsewhere. 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES [No. 1367 Chlorospingus ophthalmicus with which arrangement I am not prepared A review of most of the known forms of to agree. I find cinereocephalus differing Chlorospingus ophthalmicus and C. flavo- from the ophthalmicus-flavo-pectus assem- pectus and several other supposedly dis- blage only by the absence of the yellowish tinct species leads me to believe that green breast band, and even this band is there are fewer species involved than has definitely suggested by a greenish tinge on been supposed. It is admitted that the the sides, sometimes faintly indicated flavo-pectus group appears to be distinguish- towards the center of the breast. The able from the restricted ophthalmicus white postocular spot is usually absent but group by the lack of the white postocular also sometimes limitedly present. There spot and, as far as most South American is no reason why this form should not be representatives are concerned, by the placed in the ophthalmicus group, although lighter, less blackish crown. C. o. nigri- it shows an extreme variation in a certain ceps, however, has no white behind the eye, direction. This still leaves northern Peril except for an occasional slight trace, and without a known representative, but I there is a similar trace in some examples of should not be surprised if future workers the flavo-pectus assemblage. Furthermore, in the area should discover a resident from the top of the head in C. o. jacqueti is a there. good match for that in the flavo-pectus Another hiatus occurs in eastern Pan- group, and that of C. o. argentinus is still amA, but I believe it is filled in part by lighter, though brownish, while different tacarcunae which Hellmayr (op. cit., p. Central American representatives show 410) considered as conspecific with flavi- various tones of gray, black, and brown, gularis. I find Hellmayr's assignment depending on the subspecies. There is untenable. Outside of a certain similarity in not a single character of specific value in the uniform green color of the upper parts, the entire assemblage. These birds all 'there is little resemblance. The Panama agree in general proportions, shape and bird has quite different proportions, a size of bill, and basic pattern of coloration, different bill, a somewhat speckled throat, and they replace each other geographically. a dusky malar band, strongly greenish As far as ophthalimius and flavo-pectus are flanks, and, ip one example, a small streak concerned, there certainly is no more than on the posterior part of the upper eyelid one species to be considered. The sub- and behind the orbit (yellow in this case specific distinctions involve only different and not white, but in the exact position combinations of postocular pattern and hue of the white marking in some forms of of cap. It is interesting to find the com- ophthalmicus). All of these features show bination of light head and absence of post- close agreement with the ophthalmicus ocular white occurring in eastern Colombia, group, although tacarcunae has the cap eastern Ecuador, and eastern Perd, with green like the back and the throat yellow that of dark head and postocular whit like the breast (as in immature examples of (and other combinations) both north and some. of the other forms), the opposite south of this elongated area, but the inter- extreme of variation from that shown by rupted distribution of the latter combina- cinereocephalus. I believe that tacarcunae tion of characters is not a specific criterion. belongs in this same group. It is not Plotting the ranges of the different forms allied to flavigularis. concerned shows a considerable hiatus in The resemblance of punctulatus of cen- various parts of Peru where some repre- tral Panama to the ophthalmicus group is sentative should occur. Part of this so positive that I do not see how it can have hiatus is occupied by cinereocephalus which been overlooked as a conspecies unless has been kept specifically separate from through lack of material or because of a sus- both ophthalmicus and "flavo-pectus," al- picion of overlapping ranges. It has all the though Hellmayr (1936, Field Mus. Nat. general characteristics of the black-headed Hist., zool. ser., vol. 13, pt. 9, p. 417) forms with white postocular patch and placed it as a subspecies of semifuscus, resembles venezuelanus in the color of the 1947] STUDIES OF PERUVIAN BIRDS. NO. 52 3 breast, eminens in the blackness of crown, Returning to South America, I have and nigriceps in the spotting of the throat, commented elsewhere (1946, Jour. Wash- although this spotting is even more pro- ington Acad. Sci., vol. 36, p. 390) on the nounced than in nigriceps. It is also surprising agreement of birds from San- somewhat more brownish or golden green tander, Colombia, with jacqueti of the on the back than any of the others. These Lara region of Venezuela. It is hoped characters are all of degree, not of kind. that more material may become available As far as conflicting distribution is con- from Santander to clarify this apparent cerned, I can find no such conflict. There similarity. is a broad hiatus to the eastward before In Bolivia, the range of argentinu8 shows the range of tacarcunae is reached, while to a curious extension. While flavigularis the westward novicius is found in the Chiri- occupies an area in the northern part of the quf region beyond the range of punctu- Cochabamba region (in the Mamor6 drain- latus in the Veraguas sector. age as far east as Samaipata, the type The separation of novicius and region- locality), it remains on the northern side of alis is not sharp and it is difficult to say the Andean spurs in that area. Argentinus where the line should be drawn. The reaches the southern side of those same material at hand from southwestern Costa spurs in the upper reaches of the Rio Rica appears to be inseparable from the Mizque that also flows into the Mamor6 rest of the Costa Rican specimens of system after a roundabout course far regionalis and not to belong with the to the eastward. The western form, Chiriquf population of novicius. Some of bolivianus, was described from San Cris- the Chiriquf birds, themselves, agree tobal which appears to be somewhere near well enough with regionalis to present a the eastern end of the range of that problem in distinction, although others form. Thus three subspecies are known are darker-capped in what presumably is from the Cochabamba area although they a trend towards punctulatus.