Macgregor's Honeyeater

SCI Name:  Macgregoria pulchra
Protonym:  Macgregoria pulchra Ibis p.251 pl.7
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Meliphagidae / Macgregoria
Taxonomy Code:  machon3
Type Locality:  Mt. Scratchley, southeastern New Guinea.
Author:  De Vis
Publish Year:  1897
IUCN Status:  Vulnerable

DEFINITIONS

MACGREGORIA
(Meliphagidae; Ϯ Macgregor's Honeyeater M. pulchra) Lady Mary Jane Macgregor née Cocks (d. 1919) second wife of colonial governor and explorer Sir William Macgregor; "The bird, of which I forward a specimen, appears to belong to a new genus of Paradiseidæ, which I propose to name (by request), after Lady Macgregor: —  MACGREGORIA, gen. nov.   Bill shorter than head behind the nostrils, higher than broad; culmen subacute, curved gently on basal, more rapidly on apical moiety; edge of maxilla with a shallow subapical notch; nostril narrow, elongate, half hidden by nasal plumes; fore part of head with more or less erect plumes; a large caruncle on the postero-lateral part of the head.  Wing short, rounded; primaries longer than secondaries and first primary longer than the second by equal lengths; wing-tip rounded, formed by the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th quills.  Tail moderate, rounded.  Tarsus moderate, stout, scutellation entire fore and aft.  Feet strong; hallux equal in length to middle toe and claw.    MACGREGORIA PULCHRA, sp. nov.  ...  [In a communication made by Prof. Giglioli to the 'Bollettino della Società Geografica Italiana,' fasc. 1º, 1897, it seems that this bird has been mentioned by Sir W. Macgregor, in a letter to Prof. Giglioli, as intended to be named "Maria macgregoria." Unfortunately the generic term "Maria" has been already employed in zoology (Bigot, Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1859, p. 311: Diptera), so that we do not alter Mr. De Vis's name, which is stated to be given at Sir W. Macgregor's "request." — EDD.]" (DeVis 1897); "Macgregoria De Vis, 1897, Ibis, p. 251. Type, by monotypy, M. pulchra De Vis." (Mayr in Peters 1962, XV, 183). It has been suggested that the prosaic and unedifying name 'Macgregor's Honeyeater' be replaced by 'Paradise Wattlebird' to reflect the former and current placements of the species.
Synon. Maria.

macgregoria / macgregoriae / macgregorii
● Lady Mary Jane Macgregor née Cocks (d. 1919) second wife of colonial governor and explorer Sir William Macgregor (Amblyornis, syn. Macgregoria pulchra).
● Sir William Macgregor (1846-1919) British colonial administrator, Medical Officer in the Seychelles 1873-1875, Medical Officer/Colonial Secretary in Fiji 1875-1888, Administrator/Lt.-Gov. of British New Guinea 1888-1898, Gov. of Lagos, Nigeria 1899-1902, Gov. of Newfoundland 1904-1909, Gov. of Queensland, Australia 1909-1914, explorer, ornithologist, collector (Cnemophilus).

pulchra
L. pulcher, pulchra beautiful.
● ex “Rufous-headed Rail” of Latham, 1824 (Sarothrura).

SUBSPECIES

Macgregor's Honeyeater (pulchra)
SCI Name: Macgregoria pulchra pulchra
pulchra
L. pulcher, pulchra beautiful.
● ex “Rufous-headed Rail” of Latham, 1824 (Sarothrura).

Macgregor's Honeyeater (carolinae)
SCI Name: Macgregoria pulchra carolinae
carolinae
● Caroline Amanda La Touche née Focken (d. 1945) wife of Irish ornithologist John Digues La Touche (subsp. Brachypteryx leucophris).
● Caroline Bernus Baronin von Erlanger (1843-1918) mother of German ornithologist Victor Carl Heinrich Freiherr von Erlanger (subsp. Galerida theklae).
● Karoline Augusta Princess of Bavaria (1792-1873) Crown-Princess of Württemberg, Empress-Consort of Austria and Queen-Consort of Hungary and Bohemia (syn. Guaruba guarouba).
● Caroline M. Rozendaal-Kortekaas (fl. 2013) collector and wife of Dutch ornithologist Frank G. Rozendaal (Horornis).
● Carolina Lydia Junge née Slingervoet Ramondt (b. 1904) wife of Dutch zoologist Dr George Christofell Alexander Junge (subsp. Macgregoria pulchra, subsp. Pitohui kirhocephalus).
● Caroline Elisabeth Louise von Breidenbach zu Breidenstein Baronin von Rosenberg (fl. 1888) wife of German naturalist and explorer Carl Freiherr von Rosenberg (Björn Bergenholtz and Laurent Raty in litt.) (Tanysiptera).
● Caroline Ash (fl. 1981) daughter of British ornithologist and collector John Ash (subsp. Turdoides squamulata).
● Carrie McGregor Brandt (fl. 1937) wife of US ornithologist Herbert William Brandt (subsp. Vireo huttoni).