Arabian Babbler

SCI Name:  Turdoides squamiceps
Protonym:  Malurus squamiceps AtlasReis.nord.Afr.Vog.[Ruppell](1826) -1826 p.19 pl.12
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Leiothrichidae / Turdoides
Taxonomy Code:  arabab1
Type Locality:  Aqaba, Transjordania.
Author:  Cretzschmar
Publish Year:  1827
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

TURDOIDES
(Leiothrichidae; Ϯ White-headed Babbler T. leucocephala) Genus Turdus Linnaeus, 1758, thrush; Gr. -οιδης -oidēs  resembling; "Turdoides leucocephala, (Mus. Francof.)  Weißköpfiger Droßling.   ...   Die Droßlinge (Turdoides) bilden eine von den Droßeln (Turdus) wohl zu unterscheidende Familie, die eine Menge von Arten zählt, von denen Rüppel bereits vier aus dem nördlichen Afrika eingesendet hat. Wir werden die Abbildungen und Beschreibungen von dreyen derselben in dem Atlas liefern. Auch erwarten wir duie Bekanntmachung anderer in Indien entdeckten Arten der Gattung Turdoides von Herrn Temminck, der solche zuerst aufgestellt hat." (Cretzschmar 1827); "Turdoides Cretzschmar, 1827, in Rüppell's Atlas, Vög., hft. 4, p. 6, pl. 4. Type, by monotypy, Turdoides leucocephalus Cretzschmar." (Deignan in Peters 1964, X, 331).
Var. Tordoides.
Synon. Aethocichla, Aipunemia, Crateropus, Cratopus, Ischyropodus, Layardia, Malacocircus, Malcolmia, Pengia.

turdoides
L. turdus  thrush; Gr. -οιδης -oidēs  resembling.
● “Both Seebohm and Saunders have used Meyer’s name Sylvia turdoides, 1815, for the Great Reed-Warbler, because, according to the first named, Linnaeus in placing the species under the genus Turdus made the definition quite misleading. Turdus arundinaceus of Linnaeus was, however, founded on Klein’s Turdus musicus palustris, which undoubtedly refers to the Great Reed-Warbler, and there can be no objection to the name, which is the oldest and has always been more or less in use” (BOU 1915) (syn. Acrocephalus arundinaceus).
● “Altogether of a much Thrush-like appearance” (Hartert 1896) (Cataponera).
● "14.  COLLURICINCLE GRIVELÉ.  —  COLLURICINCLA TURDOIDES.  ...  Ce Colluricincle est originaire de Raffles-Bay.  Il appartient à la section des espèces de ce genre qui est caractérisée par un bec plus large et moins comprimée.  Ses couleurs et sa petite taille le rapprochent du Colluricincla brunnea Gould; il s'en isole par la coloration à peu près uniforme de la région thoraco-abdominale." (Pucheran 1853) (syn. Colluricincla parvula).

squamiceps
L. squama  scale; -ceps  -capped  < caput, capitis  head.

SUBSPECIES

Arabian Babbler (squamiceps)
SCI Name: Turdoides squamiceps squamiceps
squamiceps
L. squama  scale; -ceps  -capped  < caput, capitis  head.

Arabian Babbler (yemensis)
SCI Name: Turdoides squamiceps yemensis
yemenensis / yemensis
Yemen.

Arabian Babbler (muscatensis)
SCI Name: Turdoides squamiceps muscatensis
muscatensis
Muscat, Arabia.