Proposal (254) to South American Classification Committee

Reassign Salvatoria to Alipiopsitta

[Alípio de] Miranda-Ribeiro (1920) described the monotypic genus Salvatoria to distinguish the Yellow-faced Parrot -- originally described as Psittacus xanthops Spix, 1824 -- from "true Amazon parrots. Placement of Yellow-faced Parrot in the genus Amazona Lesson, 1830 has been questioned in practically every recent study of the genus (Birt et al. 1992, Duarte and Caparroz 1995, Caparroz and Duarte 2004, Rusello and Amato 2004).

However, Salvatoria Miranda-Ribeiro is preoccupied by Salvatoria McIntosh, 1885, a genus for exogonin syllid polychaetes (type species: Salvatoria kerguelensis McIntosh, 1885), which until very recently had been called Leitoscoloplos kerguelensis.

Application of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999) requires the replacement of the junior homonym (Article 60). In lacking an available and potentially valid synonym, Caparroz and Pacheco (2006) proposed the new generic name Alipiopsitta to replace Salvatoria Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920.

References:

Birt, T. P., V. L. Friesen, J. M. Green, W. A. Montevecchi and W. S. Davidson (1992) Cytochrome-B sequence variation among parrots. Hereditas117:67-72.

Caparroz, R and Duarte, J. M. B. (2004) Chromosomal similarity between the Scaly-headed parrot (Pionus maximiliani), the short-tailed parrot (Graydidascalus brachyurus) and the Yellow-faced amazon (Salvatoria xanthops) (Psittaciformes: Aves): a cytotaxonomic analysis. Gen. Mol. Biol. 27: 522-528.

Caparroz, R. and J. F. Pacheco (2006) A homonymy in Psittacidae: a new name for Salvatoria Miranda-Ribeiro. Rev. Bras. Orn. 14 (2): 174-175 pdf

Duarte, J. M. B. and R. Caparroz (1995) Cytotaxonomic analysis of Brazilian species of the genus Amazona (Psittacidae, Aves) and confirmation of the genus Salvatoria (Ribeiro, 1920). Rev. Bras. Genet.18: 623-628.

ICZN (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth Edition. London: International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

McIntosh, W. C. 1885. Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1872-76, under the command of Captain Sir George S. Nares, R. N., F. R. S., and the late Captain Frank Tourle Thomson, R. N. Zoology, vol. 2, Pt 34. Report on the Annelida Polychæta collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76. London: Printed for H.M.S.O.

Miranda-Ribeiro, A. (1920) Revisão dos psitacídeos brasileiros. Rev. Mus. Paulista 12:1-82.

Rusello, M. A. and G. Amato (2004) A molecular phylogeny of Amazona: implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy and conservation. Mol. Phyl. Evol. 30:421-437.

Jose Fernando Pacheco, January 2007

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Comments from Stiles: "YES. I actually voted in favor of this under a previous proposal. No controversy - the name Salvatoria IS preoccupied (try looking it up in Google) so the name change IS mandatory."

Comments from Zimmer: "YES", because Salvatoria is clearly preoccupied. Glad to see this interesting parrot finally find a nomenclatural home!"

Comments from Nores: "YES. Es evidente que el nombre Salvatoria no es correcto ya que está pre-ocupado."

Comments from Robbins: "YES. This is a clear-cut decision."