Proposal (280) to South American Classification Committee

Use of Agriornis albicauda for Agriornis andicola

The names involved here include:

Peopaza andecola d'Orbigny 1840 = Agriornis microptera andecola and, for the two subspecies of the species treated here: andicola Sclater 1860, and its junior synonym: pollens Sclater 1869 albicauda Philippi & Landbeck 1863.

When andicola Sclater 1860 and andecola d'Orbigny 1840 are combined with Agriornis, the former is an homonym of the latter - contra Traylor in Peters VIII: 166. The Latin Andium and the French Andes (nominative plurals) are both formed from the Quechua "Andi"; here then, art. 58 (andecola and andicola have the same origin and meaning = the Quechua Andi), and art. 58.12 (use of different connecting vowels) both apply (ICZN 1999).

I therefore submit that the oldest available name for the species is albicauda Philippi & Landbeck 1863 (= Agriornis albicauda albicauda), and that andicola Sclater 1860 must give way to its next oldest available synonym (arts. 23.3.5, 53.3.1, 59.1, 60.2), which is pollens Sclater 1869 (= Agriornis albicauda pollens).

Normand David, May 2007

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Comments from Stiles: "YES. As I read it, andicola was considered available because of that one-letter difference in spelling from andecola, which has priority. David points out that a strict application of ICZN rules negates this, so it looks like there is no alternative to YES on this one."

Comments from Nores: "YES. Está bien demostrado que andecola y andicola son sinónimos y por lo tanto albicauda surge como el nombre válido más antiguo."

Comments from Pacheco: "YES. Tal mudança reflete o uso estrito das regras do ICZN e deve ser implementada."