The Identity of Forpus cyanopygius (Souancé)

Abstract

OVER forty years ago, Salvin and Godman, in the 'Aves' section of their 'Biologia Centrali-Americana' (3: 581, 1897), stated very plainly that Souanc6's cotypes of Psittacula cyanopygia in the British Museum were similar to their specimens from the Tres Marias Islands. Beyond this comment they took no action for the reason that they were somewhat over-conservative and rigorously refrained from recognizing geographic variations by name. From that time onward, no one seems to have given any weight to their comment and the Tres Marias race has continued to pass under the name of insularis Ridgway. During a recent visit to the British Museum, the writer took occasion to investigate the matter and found the comment of Salvin and Godman to be justified. The male cotype, the chief basis of the description, is certainly a Tres Marias specimen. The female is, in all characters, an individual intermediate and may have come from almost anywhere on the adjacent mainland. The measurements of the male (59.11.22.38 British Museum) are: wing, 90 mm.; tail, 45; culmen from cere, 13.5; outer anterior toe, 13.5. The coloration is definitely of the darker, duller, and more bluish type which is characteristic of the Tres Marias race. Under these circumstances there is no alternative but to include Psittacula rnsularis Ridgway in the synonymy of Psittacula cyanopygia Souanc6 and to rename the mainland race which formerly passed as cyanopygia. Therefore: