Australasian Figbird

SCI Name:  Sphecotheres vieilloti
Protonym:  Sphecotheres Vieilloti Trans.Linn.Soc.London Vol. 15, Part I p. 215 (in text)
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Oriolidae / Sphecotheres
Taxonomy Code:  ausfig1
Type Locality:  Keppel Bay [near Rockhampton], Queensland.
Author:  Vigors & Horsfield
Publish Year:  1827
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

SPHECOTHERES
(Oriolidae; Ϯ Timor Figbird S. viridis) Gr. σφηξ sphēx, σφηκος sphēkos  wasp; -θηρας -thēras  hunter  < θηραω thēraō  to hunt  < θηρ thēr, θηρος thēros  beast, animal; the strong bill inclined earlier authors to treat the figbirds as allied to the rapacious shrikes; "132. SPHÉCOTHÈRE, Sphecotheres.  Bec épais, droit et glabre à la base, robuste, convexe en dessus, fléchi vers la pointe de la mandibule supérieure. — Orbites nues. — Les prem. et deux. remiges les plus longues.   Esp. nouv. (H)   ...   (H) SPÉCOTHÈRE VERT, Sphecotera viridis.   ...   Sphecotera [σφηξ, vespa, θηραω, venor]." (Vieillot 1816); "Sphecotheres Vieillot, 1816, Analyse, p. 42. Type, by monotypy, Specotheres viridis Vieillot." (Greenway in Peters 1962, XV, 136).
Var. Sphecotera, Sphecothera, Sphecoteres, Sphecotis.
Synon. Picnoramphus.

vieilloti / vieillotii
Louis Pierre Vieillot (1748-1830) French naturalist, collector (Coccyzus (ex Saurothera vetula Vieillot, 1819), syn. Colibri serrirostris, syn. Dendroica erithachorides, syn. Leuconotopicus borealis, syn. Lophura rufa, Lybius (ex “Barbu Rubicon” of Levaillant 1807), subsp. Mellisuga minima, syn. Molothrus oryzivorus, syn. Pachyramphus viridis, syn. Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea, syn. Pyrrhula pyrrhula europoea (ex Pyrrhula europoea Vieillot, 1816), Sphecotheres, syn. Strepera versicolor, syn. Tachuris rubrigastra, subsp. Tangara mexicana).

SUBSPECIES

Australasian Figbird (cucullatus)
SCI Name: Sphecotheres vieilloti cucullatus
cucullata / cucullatus
Late L. cucullatus  hooded, cowled  < L. cucullus  hood.
● ex “Cap-noir” of Audebert & Vieillot 1802 (syn. Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris).
● ex “Hirondelle à tête rousse du Cap de Bonne Espérance” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 723, fig. 2 (Cecropis).
● ex “Moineau de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 181, fig. 1 (Coryphospingus).
● ex “Perruche à chaperon bleu” of Levaillant 1801-1805 (syn. Eos squamata).
● "62. MERGUS.  ...  cucullatus.  1. M. crista globosa utrinque alba, corpore supra fusco, subtus albo.  Anas cristatus. Catesb. car. I. p. 94. t. 94.  Habitat in America." (Linnaeus 1758) (Lophodytes).
● ex “Hooded Flycatcher” of Latham 1801 (Melanodryas).
● ex Loxia coronata of Miller 1776, “Cardinal Dominicain huppé de la Louisiane” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 103, and “Crested Cardinal” of Brown 1776 (syn. Paroaria coronata).
● ex “Pinçon du Sénégal” of Brisson 1760, and “Troupiale du Sénégal” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781 (Ploceus).
● "86. STRUTHIO.  ...  cucullatus.  4. S. pedibus tetradactylis, omnibus unguiculatis.  Gallus gallinaceus peregrinus. Clus. exot. 99. t. 100. Olear. mus. 23. t. 13. f. 5.  Cygnus cucullatus. Nieremb. nat. 231. Raj. av. 37.  Dronte. Bont. jav. 70.  Habitat in India." (Linnaeus 1758) (‡Raphus).
● ex “Gros-bec appelé la Nonnette” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 393, fig. 3 (?syn. Sporophila americana).

Australasian Figbird (salvadorii)
SCI Name: Sphecotheres vieilloti salvadorii
salvadori / salvadoriana / salvadorianus / salvadorii
Adelardo Tommaso Conte Salvadori Paleotti (1835-1923) Italian doctor, participated in Garibaldi’s second expedition to Sicily 1860, ornithologist at Museum of Zoology, Turin University 1863-1923 (syn. Acrochordopus burmeisteri, subsp. Aegotheles albertisii, syn. Amazilia cyanura, subsp. Argya caudata, syn. Bradypterus cinnamomeus, subsp. Caligavis subfrenata, subsp. Caprimulgus macrurus, syn. Casuarius casuarius, subsp. Chalcites crassirostris, syn. Chauna torquata, syn. Corvus orru, syn. Crateroscelis robusta, Cryptospiza, subsp. Dicaeum maugei, Ducula, subsp. Edolisoma morio, subsp. Eremomela icteropygialis, subsp. Eudynamys orientalis, syn. Gerygone sulphurea, subsp. Leptocoma aspasia, syn. Lichmera squamata, syn. Loriculus philippensis apicalis, subsp. Lorius lory, subsp. Lybius undatus, subsp. Merops philippinus, syn. Micropsitta pusio beccarii, syn. Nectarinia johnstoni nyikensis, syn. Nothocercus julius, subsp. Nothura darwinii, Onychognathus, subsp. Pachycephala hyperythra (ex Pachycephala sharpii Salvadori, 1896), syn. Papualestes cyanus subcyaneus, subsp. Paradisaea raggiana, syn. Pitohui kirhocephalus, syn. Platycercus icterotis, syn. Podiceps major, syn. Probosciger aterrimus goliath, syn. Psittacula derbiana, Psittaculirostris, subsp. Ptilinopus viridis, syn. Pycnonotus erythropthalmos, Salpornis, subsp. Sphecotheres vieilloti, syn. Spilornis cheela asturinus, subsp. Tanygnathus lucionensis, subsp. Tanysiptera sylvia, syn. Tregellasia leucops melanogenys, subsp. Treron calvus, subsp. Zenaida aurita, Zosterops) (see Soter).

Australasian Figbird (ashbyi)
SCI Name: Sphecotheres vieilloti ashbyi
ashbyi
Edwin Ashby (1861-1941) English conchologist, ornithologist, settled in Australia, founder member of RAOU (syn. Aegintha temporalis, syn. Cacatua sanguinea gymnopis, syn. Calamanthus montanellus, syn. Epthianura aurifrons, syn. Falco hypoleucos, syn. Glossoptila pusilla, subsp. Malurus cyaneus, syn. Pachycephala pectoralis, subsp. Pomatostomus superciliosus, subsp. Sericornis frontalis, subsp. Sphecotheres vieilloti, subsp. Strepera graculina, syn. Sugomel niger).

Australasian Figbird (flaviventris)
SCI Name: Sphecotheres vieilloti flaviventris
flaviventer / flaviventre / flaviventris
L. flavus  yellow, golden-yellow; venter, ventris  belly.
● ex “Ortolan à ventre jaune du Cap de Bonne Espérance” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 664, fig. 2 (Emberiza).
● ex “Petit Râle de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 847 (Hapalocrex).
● ex "Ypacahá ceja blanca" of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 377 (syn. Hapalocrex flaviventer).
● ex “Coucou à ventre rayé de l’Île Panay” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Hierococcyx sparverioides).
● ex “Tachurí vientre amarillo” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 171 (Pseudocolopteryx).
● ex “Tangara tacheté de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 290, fig. 2 (syn. Tangara mexicana).

Australasian Figbird (vieilloti)
SCI Name: Sphecotheres vieilloti vieilloti
vieilloti / vieillotii
Louis Pierre Vieillot (1748-1830) French naturalist, collector (Coccyzus (ex Saurothera vetula Vieillot, 1819), syn. Colibri serrirostris, syn. Dendroica erithachorides, syn. Leuconotopicus borealis, syn. Lophura rufa, Lybius (ex “Barbu Rubicon” of Levaillant 1807), subsp. Mellisuga minima, syn. Molothrus oryzivorus, syn. Pachyramphus viridis, syn. Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea, syn. Pyrrhula pyrrhula europoea (ex Pyrrhula europoea Vieillot, 1816), Sphecotheres, syn. Strepera versicolor, syn. Tachuris rubrigastra, subsp. Tangara mexicana).