Mimic Honeyeater

SCI Name:  Meliphaga analoga
Protonym:  Ptilotis analoga Handb.spec.Orn. Abth.2 p.103 tab.467 no.3332
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Meliphagidae / Meliphaga
Taxonomy Code:  mimhon1
Type Locality:  'Oceanien'' [error for Triton Bay, western New Guinea]. Based on Ptilotis analogue Hombron and Jacquinot, Voy. Pole Sud, Zool., 3, atlas pi. 17, fig. 2; cf. Rand, 1936, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 872, p. 13.
Author:  Reichenbach
Publish Year:  1852
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MELIPHAGA
(Meliphagidae; Ϯ Lewin's Honeyeater M. lewinii) Gr. μελι meli,  μελιτος melitos  honey; -φαγος -phago  -eating  < φαγειν phagein  to eat; "OR. PICÆ.  GEN. MELIPHAGA.  CHARACTER OF THE GENUS.  BEAK arched, stout, and almost three-sided, Pl. 3. b.   NOSTRILS long, and covered with a membrane.  TONGUE long, and split into a number of hairs at the end, Pl. 3. a.  FEET formed for climbing, the outer toe joined to the middle one, as far as the first joint.  The birds of this genus feed on the nectarine juice, concentrated in all the flowers of this country, which they extract with the bunch of hair at the end of their long tongues.   Meliphaga Phrygia.  Pl. 3.  WARTY-FACED HONEYSUCKER.  ...  Meliphaga Cyanops.  Pl. 4.  BLUE-CHEEKED HONEYSUCKER.  ...  Meliphaga Chrysotis.  Pl. 5.  YELLOW-EARED HONEYSUCKER.  ...  Meliphaga Chrysocephala.  Pl. 6.  GOLDEN-CROWNED HONEYSUCKER." (Lewin 1808); "Meliphaga Lewin, 1808, Birds New Holland, p. 4 and pl. 5. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1840, List Genera Birds, ed. 1, p. 15), Meliphaga chrysotis Lewin = Ptilotis lewinii Swainson." (Salomonsen in Peters 1967, XII, 364).
Var. Melliphaga, Miliphaga, Chelliphaga.
Synon. Dorothina, Ptilotina, Ptilotis.
● (syn. Anthochaera Ϯ Regent Honeyeater A. phrygia) "MELIPHAGA ^b, Lewin, (1808).  Zanthomyza, Swains. (1837). Merops, Lath. Philemon, Vieill. Anthochæra, V. and H. Xanthomyza, Strickl. (1841). Philedon, 3rd div. Cuv. (1817). 2nd div. Cuv. (1829).   M. phrygia, (Lath.) Lew. B. of N. H., pl. 3  ...  ^b On examining Lewin's work for the purpose of ascertaining the proper type of his genus Meliphaga, I unfortunately, for my former edition, looked at the one published in 1822, where he placed his short characters on the page in which he described his M. chrysotis, so that I considered that species to be the type. But I have since consulted the original edition of 1808, where I find that he established the genus on his M. phrygia, as he not only gave generic characters on the same page with the specific description of that bird, but also figured the bill and tongue of that species in illustration of his genus. It must therefore, if we "ought always to retain the original name for that part of the old genus which was considered typical by its author," be kept as the type of the genus Meliphaga of Lewin, as established in 1808. The C. novæ hollandiæ, as proposed by Vigors and Dr. Horsfield for the type of Meliphaga, is not even noticed by Lewin in his work, and cannot therefore on any principle be regarded as the type of his genus" (G. Gray 1841); "Meliphaga G. R. Gray, 1841, List Gen. Birds, ed. 2, p. 20. Type, by original designation, Merops phrygius Shaw. Not Meliphaga Lewin, 1808." (Salomonsen in Peters 1967, XII, 436).
● (syn. Phylidonyris Ϯ New Holland Honeyeater P. novaehollandiae)  "Genus. MELIPHAGA*. Lewin et Auct.  ...  *The species of the family of Meliphagidæ appear very numerous, and every arrival from New Holland and the Australian islands brings an addition to their number. At the same time the species themselves are but ill-defined; and in the present imperfect state of our knowledge , and while information is daily increasing, we consider it unadviseable to attempt more than a rude sketch of this interesting family. The group which we have selected above as representing the Meliphaga of Lewin and Authors, is the only assemblage of these birds of which we can speak with any satisfaction to ourselves. The species accord in their general characters; and in their habits and the structure of their tongue they are represented as agreeing most perfectly. They exhibit five prominent modifications of form, according to the variation chiefly of the characters of the bill and tail. At present we wish to consider these types of form as sections only of the group, which we name provisionally the genus Meliphaga. When the species become more known, the present sections may justly be considered genera, and the higher group may be denominated the subfamily Meliphagina. When this subdivision takes place, the section which stands first in our text may be considered the true Meliphaga.  The Mel. Novæ Hollandiæ will form the type." (Vigors & Horsfield 1827); "MELIPHAGA NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, Vig. and Horsf.  New Holland Honey-eater.  ...  I QUITE agree with Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield in making the bird forming the subject of the present Plate [vol. IV, pl. 23] the type of the restricted genus Meliphaga. Independently of its claim to this distinction from the circumstances of its being the oldest known, it is the species to which the generic term is especially applicable, since, I conceive, it feeds less upon insects and more upon nectarine juices than any other of the family." (Gould 1843); "Meliphaga Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 15, p. 311. Type, by original designation, Certhia novaeHollandiae Latham. Not Meliphaga Lewin, 1808 (Meliphagidae)." (Salomonsen in Peters 1967, XII, 425). 

analoga / analogus
L. analogus  similar, analogous  < Gr. αναλογος  analogos  equivalent to, resembling  < ανα ana  according to, with; λογος logos  principle, reason.
● ex “Ptilotis analogue” of Hombron & Jacquinot 1842; the Mimic Honeyeater was so-named because of its great similarity to Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii (Microptilotis).

SUBSPECIES

Mimic Honeyeater (papuae)
SCI Name: Meliphaga analoga papuae
papou / papua / papuae
Papua or New Guinea  < Malay pepuah  curly, alluding to the hair of the indigenes.
● New Guinea; ex “Petit Lori Papou” of Sonnerat 1776 (Charmosyna).
● Erroneous implied TL. Papua (= Falkland Is.); ex “Manchot Papou” of Sonnerat 1776, who wrote that he had seen no fewer than three species of penguin in New Guinea! In fact, he never visited New Guinea, but many believed him: “Cette espèce, qu’on trouve à la Nouvelle-Guinée, aux îles des Papous et de Falkland” (Vieillot 1825) (Pygoscelis).
● Erroneous TL. Papua (= Falkland Is.); ex “Manchot Papou” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Pygoscelis papou).

Mimic Honeyeater (analoga)
SCI Name: Meliphaga analoga analoga
analoga / analogus
L. analogus  similar, analogous  < Gr. αναλογος  analogos  equivalent to, resembling  < ανα ana  according to, with; λογος logos  principle, reason.
● ex “Ptilotis analogue” of Hombron & Jacquinot 1842; the Mimic Honeyeater was so-named because of its great similarity to Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii (Microptilotis).

Mimic Honeyeater (longirostris)
SCI Name: Meliphaga analoga longirostris
longirostris
L. longus  long; -rostris  -billed  < rostrum  beak. Var. Longirostra.
● ex “Long-billed Thrush” of Latham 1783 (‡Acrocephalus).
● ex “Manchot de la Nouvelle Guinée” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Aptenodytes patagonicus).
● ex “Troupiale” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 532 (syn. Icterus icterus).
● ex “Grimpar Nasican” of Levaillant 1807 (Nasica).
● ex “Râle à long bec de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 849, and “Long-billed Rail” of Latham 1785 (Rallus).

Mimic Honeyeater (flavida)
SCI Name: Meliphaga analoga flavida
flavida
L. flavidus golden-yellow, yellowish < flavus yellow, golden-yellow.

Mimic Honeyeater (connectens)
SCI Name: Meliphaga analoga connectens
connectans / connectens
L. connectens  joined, connected, united  < connectere  to unite.