Designation of a lectotype for Notiomystis cincta hautura Mathews, 1935 (Aves: Passeriformes: Meliphagidae)

Abstract

Mathews (1935) described the population of the New Zealand endemic hihi, or stitchbird Notiomystis cincta (Du Bus) from Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) as the subspecies hautura, distinct from the nominate subspecies on the mainland of the North Island. Mathews based his description on a series in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, but did not designate a type specimen. The AMNH specimens vary in the quality of the label data associated with them, and the locality information on some is somewhat uncertain.