Southern Variable Pitohui

SCI Name:  Pitohui uropygialis
Protonym:  Rectes uropygialis Proc.Zool.Soc.London Part III, Meeting of December 10, 1861 p. 430
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Oriolidae / Pitohui
Taxonomy Code:  varpit3
Type Locality:  Mysol Island.
Author:  Gray, GR
Publish Year:  1862
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PITOHUI
(Oriolidae; Ϯ Northern Variable Pitohui P. kirhocephalus) Papuan name Pitohui  rubbish bird (i.e. inedible), for the pitohuis. The skin and feathers of the Variable Pitohui contain powerful batrachotoxins, probably developed from the beetles that form part of its diet (see Ifrita); "VII.^e Sous-genre.  PITOHUI; Pitohui.   Bec long, triangulaire, à arête vive, crochue; à narines arrondies; à bords élargis, un peu dilatés; tarses moyens. Queue médiocre, arrondie.   1.º Lanius kirrhocephalus, Less., Zool. de la Coq., pl. 11.  De la Nouvelle-Guinée.   2.º Lanius niger , Horsf.; Lanius melas, Garn.; Less., Man., t. I.^er, p. 128.   3.º Lanius. Pie-Grièche noire et blanche. Du Cap. (Mus. de Paris.)" (Lesson 1830); "Pitohui Lesson, 1830, Traité Orn., p. 375. Type, by subsequent designation (Sharpe, 1877, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., 3, p. 283), Lanius kirhocephalus Lesson and Garnot." (Mayr in Peters 1967, XII, 45).
Var. Pitoius.
Synon. Rectes.

uropygialis / uropygiata / uropygiatus
Med. L. uropygium  rump  < Gr. ουροπυγιον ouropugion  bird’s rump.

SUBSPECIES

Southern Variable Pitohui (uropygialis)
SCI Name: Pitohui uropygialis uropygialis
uropygialis / uropygiata / uropygiatus
Med. L. uropygium  rump  < Gr. ουροπυγιον ouropugion  bird’s rump.

Southern Variable Pitohui (aruensis)
SCI Name: Pitohui uropygialis aruensis
aruense / aruensis
Aru Is., Moluccas, Indonesia.

Southern Variable Pitohui (nigripectus)
SCI Name: Pitohui uropygialis nigripectus
nigripectus
L. niger  black; pectus, pectoris  breast.

Southern Variable Pitohui (brunneiceps)
SCI Name: Pitohui uropygialis brunneiceps
brunneiceps
Mod. L. brunneus  brown  < Med. L. brunius  brown; L. –ceps -crowned  < caput, capitis  head.

Southern Variable Pitohui (meridionalis)
SCI Name: Pitohui uropygialis meridionalis
meridionale / meridionalis
L. meridionalis  southern  < meridies  south.
● Cayenne; ex “Rufous-headed Falcon” of Latham 1787 (Heterospizias).
● South Island, New Zealand; ex “Southern brown Parrot” of Latham 1781 (Nestor).
● Erroneous TL. Bahamas (= Trinidad) (syn. Trogon violaceus).