The ambiguous identity of Turdus mustelinus Wilson, and a neotype designation for the Veery Catharus fuscescens (Stephens)

Abstract

The long-recognised name of the Veery Catharus fuscescens (Stephens 1817) was intended to replace Tawny Thrush Turdus mustelinusWilson, 1812, which was preoccupied by T. mustelinus J. F. Gmelin, 1789. Herein, I demonstrate that T. mustelinus Wilson is unidentifiable because it was based on attributes shared by more than one species, including some features that are a better match to other Catharus species than to Veery. None of the specimens mentioned in Wilson's description is extant. To maintain traditional nomenclature and to prevent destabilising confusion arising from alternative identifications, I designate a neotype for Turdus mustelinus Wilson and its replacement names, including T. fuscescens Stephens, fixing the name to the taxon to which it has been traditionally applied. The neotype is a colour-banded male that was tracked over two consecutive years with light-level geolocator and GPS tracking units. To my knowledge, it is the first bird specimen in any collection for which migratory data were collected with either device.