Corvus insularis Heinroth, 1903 : 69

Steinheimer, Frank D., 2009, The type specimens of Corvidae (Aves) in the Museum für Naturkunde at the Humboldt-University of Berlin, with the description of a new subspecies of Dendrocitta vagabunda, Zootaxa 2149 (1), pp. 1-49 : 28-29

Corvus insularis Heinroth, 1903: 69

TL: Gazelle-Halbinsel [Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain], und vielleicht der ganze Bismarck-Archhipel, Waigiu, Nord-Celebes [and perhaps also Bismarck Archipelago, Waigeo, North-Sulawesi]; restricted to Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain ( Blake & Vaurie 1962: 275).

Now Corvus insularis Heinroth, 1903 . See below.

SYNTYPES: ZMB 25879 [batch acquisition number B.17156]. Female. Loc. : New Britain. Date: 6 September 1880. Coll.: Otto Finsch No. 201, Pacific Expedition. Iris: “nicely” sky blue. [Ex, Finsch label, A/R; ZMB label lost]. ZMB 26326 [batch acquisition number B.17156]. Male. Loc.: New Britain. Date: [not available anymore]. Coll.: Otto Finsch No. 356, Pacific Expedition. [Ex, Finsch label, A/R; ZMB label lost]. ZMB 2002.545. Adult female. Loc.: Matupi [Matupi Harbour, near Rabaul, E New Britain; 4°14’S, 152°12’ E]. Date: 17 December 1900. Coll.: Mencke / Deutsche Südsee-Expedition. [S, Mus]. ZMB 2002.546. [No sex or age given]. Loc.: Blanchebucht [Blanche Bay, south of Rabaul, New Britain]. Date : 22 December 1900. Coll.: Mencke / Deutsche Südsee-Expedition. [S, Mus, Meise MS]. ZMB 2002.547. [No sex or age given]. Loc. : Blanchebucht. Date : 1 January 1901. Coll.: Mencke / Deutsche Südsee-Expedition. [S, Mus]. ZMB 2002.548. [No sex or age given]. Loc. : Blanchebucht. Date : 3 February 1901. Coll.: Mencke / Deutsche Südsee-Expedition. [S, Mus]. ZMB 2002.549. Immature. Loc. : Ralum [Gazelle Peninsula, E New Britain] (bought). Date : 8 March 1897. Coll.: Dahl [No coll. number]. Iris : whitish grey. [S, Dahl label]. ZMB 2002.550. Female. Loc. : Ralum. Date : 22 July 1896. Coll.: Dahl No. 104. Iris : blue. [S, Dahl label]. ZMB 2002.551. Male. Loc.: Ralum. Date: 16 May 1896. Coll.: Dahl. [No coll. number]. [S, Mus].

ARGUABLE SYNTYPE: ZMB 25878 [batch acquisition number B.17156]. Male. Loc.: New Ireland. Date : 12 September 1880. Coll.: Otto Finsch No. 223, Pacific Expedition. [Mount, Finsch label; ZMB label lost].

COMMENTS: Oskar Heinroth (1871–1945), when working on his material from the first German South Sea Expedition, discovered that the specimen of Corvus orru that he collected at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hafen (= today’s Madang) differed considerably from specimens collected on New Britain. In the original description he also referred to two birds from Waigeo (and in general terms to birds from Sulawesi), without making it clear, however, if he considered that they should be included in his new taxon or not. The two Waigeo birds (ZMB 27595 and 2002.552), collected by Carl Constantin Platen (1843–1898) on 17 and 22 December 1883, are not considered in this type list. All ZMB specimens from New Britain collected before 1903 are certain syntypes, including specimens of Friedrich Dahl (1856–1929) and Otto Finsch (1839–1917). The single bird collected in New Ireland is an arguable syntype of Heinroth’s name. A further true syntpe from the German South Sea Expedition is found at the AMNH (674444, not sexed, Blanchebucht, 2 February 1901, coll. Mencke / Deutsche Südsee-Expedition; M. LeCroy in litt. March 2009). The taxon has been treated by most authors as a subspecies of Corvus orru ( Meinertzhagen 1926, Blake & Vaurie 1962, Madge & Burn 1999, Dickinson 2003). Finch & McKean (1987) and Storer & Eastwood (1991), however, noted taxonomic affinities of insularis with Corvus meeki rather than with C. orru . Jones & Lambley (1987) treated insularis as an own species without giving more details. Guy Dutson, Phil Gregory and Walter Boles, in new research on this subject, give now strong evidence for considering Corvus insularis as a full species which is followed here (G. Dutson, P. Gregory & W. Boles, MS paper, in litt. 17 April 2009).