Avian type localities and the type specimens collected by Johan August Wahlberg in southern Africa
Author
Dean, W. Richard J.
0000-0002-6541-3565
Research Associate, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa. wrjdean 01 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 6541 - 3565 & Wolwekraal Conservation and Research Organisation, P. O. Box 47, Prince Albert 6930, South Africa. & South African Environmental Observation Network, Arid Lands Node, Kimberley, South Africa.
wrjdean01@gmail.com
Author
Åhlander, Erik
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Zoology, Box 50007, SE- 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
Author
Johansson, Ulf S.
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Zoology, Box 50007, SE- 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-05-12
5134
4
521
560
journal article
55543
10.11646/zootaxa.5134.4.3
6cdcd17b-e695-4d2b-9f19-d6c2cf59a722
1175-5326
6541737
79D78E49-C127-4EB8-BEA2-784B0BC65363
Hirundo semirufa
Sundevall, 1850: 107
.
VERBATIM
TYPE
LOCALITY: “
Hab. in Caffraria
superiore
.”
CURRENT STATUS:
Cecropis semirufa semirufa
(
Sundevall, 1850
)
;
Hirundinidae (
Dickinson & Christidis 2014: 478
)
.
TYPE
MATERIAL: Sundevall, in his brief original description (1850: 107) gave no indication that he had more than a single specimen at hand. His acquisition catalogue, however, shows that there were two skins available.
Gyldenstolpe (1926: 68–69)
referred to NRM 569780 [7076] as a “type”, here treated as a
lectotype
designation of this study skin of a male collected
18 November 1841
at Magaliesberg. The
paralectotype
, NRM 90144785 [7077], is a female collected
11 December 1841
at Magaliesberg
.
VERIFIED
TYPE
LOCALITY:
Magalies Berge
, junction of
Hennops River
and
Crocodile River
, southwest of
Pretoria
,
Gauteng Province
.
COMMENTS: The only entry in Wahlberg’s journal for this day (
18 November 1841
) is “fully occupied”. However, he recorded collecting a specimen of “
Hirundo senegalensis
” [in error for
Hirundo
(
Cecropis
)
semirufa
] at Mooi River (Potchefstroom) on 8 November and then another specimen on 14 November on the southern edge of the Magaliesberg, close to Hartebeespoort. The Potchefstroom specimen has not been located in the collections. The restricted
type
locality suggested by
Gyldenstolpe (1934)
is unlikely. The confluence between the Crocodile and Hennops Rivers is well south of the track that Wahlberg was thought to have used when travelling from Holfontein to Hartebeesport (map B, p.
129 in
Craig & Hummel 1992). If the
type
was collected on 18 November, the TL should be restricted to Hartebeespoort. If the
type
was collected on
14 November 1841
, Wahlberg was camped at “Herman Potgieter’s farm” at Olifantsnek on this day and reached Hartebeespoort on the 15 November (see “Problems with labels and collecting localities” in the Introduction).