Black Scimitarbill

SCI Name:  Rhinopomastus aterrimus
Protonym:  Promerops aterrimus Gen.Zool.[Shaw] 14 pt1 p.257
Taxonomy:  Bucerotiformes / Phoeniculidae / Rhinopomastus
Taxonomy Code:  blsbil1
Type Locality:  Africa = Senegal, ex Latham, Gen. Hist. Bds., 4, p. 111.
Author:  Stephens
Publish Year:  1826
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

RHINOPOMASTUS
(Phoeniculidae; Ϯ Common Scimitarbill R. cyanomelas) Gr. ῥις rhis, ῥινος rhinos  nostrils; πωμα pōma, πωματος pōmatos  lid, cover; "It must be placed among the Promeropidæ, and would formerly have made part of the Promerops of Brisson; differing essentially, however, in the curious and I believe peculiar structure of the nostrils, which, in addition to the usual membrane that covers those of a similar formation, are again protected by an incumbent scale, or operculum, which nearly conceals the opening.   ...   Genus RHINOPOMASTUS, Smith.   ...   Typus genericus. Rhinopomastus Smithii, mihi." (Jardine 1828); "Rhinopomastus Jardine, Zool. Journ., 4, 1828, p. 1, 2, pl. 1. Type, by original designation and monotypy, Rhinopomastus smithii Jardine = Falcinellus cyanomelas Vieillot." (Peters 1945, V, 253).
Var. Rhinopomaster, Rhinopomastes.
Syn. Iridoptilus, Rhynopomastris, Scoptelus.

aterrima / aterrimum / aterrimus
Unattested L. aterrimus  very black, blackest  < super. ater  black.
● ex “Great Black Cockatoo” of Edwards 1764, “Kakatoës noir” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Black Cockatoo” of Latham 1781 (Probosciger).
● ex “Puffinus carbonaria” of Solander MS, and “Bulweria aterrima” of authors (Pseudobulweria).
● ex “Lesser Black Promerops” of Latham 1822 (Rhinopomastus).

SUBSPECIES

Black Scimitarbill (aterrimus)
SCI Name: Rhinopomastus aterrimus aterrimus
aterrima / aterrimum / aterrimus
Unattested L. aterrimus  very black, blackest  < super. ater  black.
● ex “Great Black Cockatoo” of Edwards 1764, “Kakatoës noir” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Black Cockatoo” of Latham 1781 (Probosciger).
● ex “Puffinus carbonaria” of Solander MS, and “Bulweria aterrima” of authors (Pseudobulweria).
● ex “Lesser Black Promerops” of Latham 1822 (Rhinopomastus).

Black Scimitarbill (emini)
SCI Name: Rhinopomastus aterrimus emini
emini
Mehmet Emin Bey, later Emin Pasha, the adopted name of Dr Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer (1840-1892) German administrator in the Ottoman service, Pasha of Equatorial Province, Egyptian Sudan 1878-1889, physician, naturalist, collector, murdered by Arab slave-traders (subsp. Agapornis swindernianus, subsp. Argya rubiginosa, syn. Aviceda cuculoides verreauxi, subsp. Cecropis daurica, subsp. Cisticola aberrans, syn. Cisticola chiniana humilis, syn. Cisticola woosnami, syn. Coturnix adansonii, subsp. Criniger calurus, syn. Glareola nuchalis, subsp. Lamprotornis chalcurus, subsp. Ploceus baglafecht, syn. Prodotiscus insignis, syn. Pseudonigrita arnaudi dorsalis, syn. Pterocles exustus, syn. Pternistis icterorhynchus, syn. Ptilopachus petrosus, subsp. Pytilia phoenicoptera, subsp. Rhinopomastus aterrimus, subsp. Rhinoptilus cinctus, subsp. Salpornis salvadori, subsp. Sporopipes frontalis, subsp. Tauraco schuettii, subsp. Tchagra australis, subsp. Terpsiphone rufiventer, Trachyphonus, subsp. Turdoides jardineii).
● See: eminibey

Black Scimitarbill (notatus)
SCI Name: Rhinopomastus aterrimus notatus
notata / notatum / notatus
L. notatus  spotted, marked, marked out  < notare  to mark  < nota  mark  < noscere  to know.
● ex “Pato ipecutirí” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 437 (syn. Amazonetta brasiliensis).
● ex “Petite Perruche de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 456, fig. 2, and “Sosové” of de Buffon 7170-1783 (syn. Brotogeris chrysoptera).
● ex “Pic Tigré” of Levaillant 1808 (Campethera).
● ex “Grimpereau noir de Madagascar” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Cinnyris).
● ex “Canard brun” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 1007 (syn. Melanitta fusca).
● ex “Traquet à Cul Roux” of Levaillant 1806, pl. 188, fig. 2 (syn. Phoenicurus ochruros rufiventris).
● ex “Ortolan de passage” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 511, fig. 2 (syn. Plectrophenax nivalis).

Black Scimitarbill (anchietae)
SCI Name: Rhinopomastus aterrimus anchietae
anchietae
José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta (1832-1897) Portuguese explorer, naturalist, collector in Angola and Mozambique (Anthreptes, subsp. Bocagia minuta, syn. Chaetops pycnopygius, syn. Hirundo smithii, syn. Neafrapus boehmi, subsp. Rhinopomastus aterrimus, Stactolaema).