Welcome Swallow

SCI Name:  Hirundo neoxena
Protonym:  Hirundo neoxena Proc.Zool.Soc.London(1842) (1842), Pt10 no.117 p.131
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Hirundinidae / Hirundo
Taxonomy Code:  welswa1
Type Locality:  'the whole of the southern coast of Australia and Van Diemen''s Land'' = Tasmania.
Author:  Gould
Publish Year:  1842
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

HIRUNDO
(Hirundinidae; Ϯ Barn Swallow H. rustica) L. hirundo, hirundinis  swallow; "101. HIRUNDO.  Rostrum minimum, incurvum, subulatum, basi depressum.  Rictus capite amplius." (Linnaeus 1758). “The type of this Linnean genus has always been a somewhat difficult question to decide. The genus contains eight species, of which the first-named is “rustica,” the Swallow, and this was made the type of the genus by Gray [1840] ...  Stejneger (Proc. U. S. National Mus. v. 1883, p. 31) first drew attention to the fact that Forster [1817] ...  used urbica (House-Martin) in conjunction with Hirundo, and rustica (Swallow) with Chelidon, a genus there first named, and he considered this to constitute a designation of the type by Forster ...  After careful consideration of the matter, the Committee are of opinion that Forster’s use of Hirundo in conjunction with urbica hardly constitutes designation as understood under the code of International Rules, and that Hirundo rustica is the correct type of the Linnean genus” (BOU 1915); "Hirundo Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, p. 191. Type, by subsequent designation, Hirundo rustica Linnaeus (G. R. Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 8.)." (Peters, 1960, IX, p. 104). Linnaeus's Hirundo comprised eight species (H. rustica, H. esculenta, H. urbica, H. riparia, H. Apus, H. Subis, H. pelagica, H. Melba).
Var. Hirunda.
Synon. Charitochelidon, Chelidon, Hemicecrops, Herse, Hersepis, Hypurolepis, Natalornis, Setirundo, Uromitus, Waldenia.

hirundo
L. hirundo, hirundinis  swallow.
● "70. STERNA.  ...  Hirundo.  2. S. cauda forficata: rectricibus duabus extimis albo nigroque dimidiatis. Fn. svec. 127.  Sterna. Gesn. av. 53. Aldr. orn. l. 19. c. 7. Jonst. av. 130. t. 46.  Hirundo marina. Will. orn. 268. t. 68. Raj. av. 131. Alb. av. 2. p. 79. t. 90.  Habitat in Europa.  Mas & Femina indissolubiles socii monogami." (Linnaeus 1758); “Prof. Einar Lönnberg (Ibis, 1913, p. 301) has gone carefully into the question whether S. hirundo Linn. should be applied to the Common or to the Arctic Tern. He has given good reasons for referring it to the former species, and the Committee have accepted his decision” (BOU 1915) (Sterna).

neoxena / neoxenus
Gr. νεος neos  new; ξενος xenos  stranger, guest, visitor.
● "To these nine described species, he added two others apparently new to science, and which he characterized under the names of Ort. neoxenus and affinis; stating at the same time his doubts whether both might not be the females or young males of the imperfectly known species Ort. Sonninii or cristatus." (Vigors 1831) (syn. Colinus cristatus).
● “I have seldom been more gratified by the sight of any species of this beautiful family than I was on the receipt of the bird figured on the accompanying plate, which exhibits characters of the highest interest   ...   Judging from analogy, I should conceive that it is the young male of an aberrant species   ...   The difficulty of assigning a specific name to any species of which the young only has been seen has induced me to propose that of neoxenus (welcome stranger) for the present bird, adult examples of which will be sought for with the highest interest by every ornithologist.” (Gould 1838) (Euptilotis).
● “from the circumstance of its appearance throughout the whole of the southern portion of Australia being hailed as a welcome indication of the approach of spring and its arrival there associated with precisely the same ideas as those popularly entertained respecting our own pretty swallow in Europe” (Gould 1842) (Hirundo).
● "It is without doubt perfectly distinct from any other known species." (Cory 1886); "Cory's term neoxenus, based on a melano-erythristic mutation of frequent occurrence in Ontario and Florida" (Hellmayr & Conover 1948, XIII, 233) (syn. Ixobrychus exilis).
● "Engyptila neoxena, sp. nov.  ...  But two specimens of this interesting bird were taken and both were badly prepared.  It is possible that a larger series would show it to be not specifically separable from E. jamaicensis." (Cory 1887) (subsp. Leptotila jamaicensis). 

SUBSPECIES

Welcome Swallow (carteri)
SCI Name: Hirundo neoxena carteri
carteri
Thomas Carter (1863-1931) English ornithologist, collector, pastoralist, explorer in Australia 1886-1921 (subsp. Amytornis textilis, syn. Aquila audax, syn. Calamanthus montanellus, syn. Calidris alba, syn. Chalcites lucidus plagosus, subsp. Chlamydera guttata, syn. Colluricincla harmonica rufiventris, syn. Egretta sacra, subsp. Hirundo neoxena, subsp. Neophema elegans, Poodytes, subsp. Ptilotula penicillata, syn. Purpureicephalus spurius, syn. Rhipidura leucophrys, Thalassarche).

Welcome Swallow (neoxena)
SCI Name: Hirundo neoxena neoxena
neoxena / neoxenus
Gr. νεος neos  new; ξενος xenos  stranger, guest, visitor.
● "To these nine described species, he added two others apparently new to science, and which he characterized under the names of Ort. neoxenus and affinis; stating at the same time his doubts whether both might not be the females or young males of the imperfectly known species Ort. Sonninii or cristatus." (Vigors 1831) (syn. Colinus cristatus).
● “I have seldom been more gratified by the sight of any species of this beautiful family than I was on the receipt of the bird figured on the accompanying plate, which exhibits characters of the highest interest   ...   Judging from analogy, I should conceive that it is the young male of an aberrant species   ...   The difficulty of assigning a specific name to any species of which the young only has been seen has induced me to propose that of neoxenus (welcome stranger) for the present bird, adult examples of which will be sought for with the highest interest by every ornithologist.” (Gould 1838) (Euptilotis).
● “from the circumstance of its appearance throughout the whole of the southern portion of Australia being hailed as a welcome indication of the approach of spring and its arrival there associated with precisely the same ideas as those popularly entertained respecting our own pretty swallow in Europe” (Gould 1842) (Hirundo).
● "It is without doubt perfectly distinct from any other known species." (Cory 1886); "Cory's term neoxenus, based on a melano-erythristic mutation of frequent occurrence in Ontario and Florida" (Hellmayr & Conover 1948, XIII, 233) (syn. Ixobrychus exilis).
● "Engyptila neoxena, sp. nov.  ...  But two specimens of this interesting bird were taken and both were badly prepared.  It is possible that a larger series would show it to be not specifically separable from E. jamaicensis." (Cory 1887) (subsp. Leptotila jamaicensis).