Pale-breasted Spinetail

SCI Name:  Synallaxis albescens
Protonym:  Synallaxis albescens Pl.Col. livr.38 pl.227 fig.2
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Furnariidae / Synallaxis
Taxonomy Code:  pabspi1
Type Locality:  Brazil; Cimeterio do Lambari, near Sorocaba, Sao Paulo, designated as type locality by Hellmayr, 1925, p. 87.
Author:  Temminck
Publish Year:  1823
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

SYNALLAXIS
(Furnariidae; Ϯ Rufous-capped Spinetail S. ruficapilla)  Gr. συναλλαξις sunallaxis, συναλλαξεως sunallaxeōs  exchange; perhaps given because Vieillot thought the two species may represent the two sexes of a single species, or an allusion to their characters warranting generic separation.  Reichenbach 1853, complained that Synallaxis, of feminine gender, contained the Latin masculine noun axis  axle, and wondered what scientists were to make of it!; "SYNALLAXE, Synallaxis.   Bec grêle, entier, pointu; mandibule supérieure un peu arquée, l'inférieure droit; narines couvertes de plumes à leur base; ailes courtes, arrondies." (Vieillot 1818); "SYNALLAXE, Synallaxis. Genre de l'ordre des Oiseaux SYLVAINS et de la famille des GRIMPEREAUX   ...   La SYNALLAXE A QUEUE ROUSSE, Synallaxis ruficauda, Vieill., a été apportée du Brésil.   ...   La SYNALLAXE A TÊTE ROUSSE, Synallaxis ruficapilla, Vieill., se trouve au Brésil.   ...   Les différences qu'on remarque entre cet oiseau et le précédent, ne caractérisent-elles pas les sexes?" (Vieillot 1819); "Synallaxis Vieillot, Nouv. Sict. Hist. Nat., 24, 1818, p. 117. Generic characters only; species added op. cit., 32, 1819, p. 310. Type, by subsequent designation, Synallaxis ruficapilla Vieillot (G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 17)." (Peters 1951, VII, 80). 
Var. Synnalaxis, Synnallaxis, Synalaxis.   
Synon. Anabates, Barnesia, Gyalophylax, Parulus, Poecilurus, Siptornopsis.

albescens
L. albescens, albescentis  whitish  < albescere  to become white  < albere  to be white  < albus  white.
● ex “Busard” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 423 (= ?♀) (?syn. Accipiter gentilis).
● ex “Blanchard” of Levaillant 1796, pl. 3 (= ☼) (syn. Stephanoaetus coronatus).

SUBSPECIES

Pale-breasted Spinetail (latitabunda)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens latitabunda
latitabunda
L. latitabundus  skulking  < latitare  to hide.

Pale-breasted Spinetail (hypoleuca)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens hypoleuca
hypoleuca
Gr. ὑπο hupo beneath; λευκος leukos white (cf. ὑπολευκος hupoleukos whitish).
● ex “Pico triqueño” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 123 (syn. Sporophila leucoptera).
● Gr. ὑπερλευκος huperleukos exceedingly white; “The name hypoleucus was evidently a lapsus for hyperleucus” (Gadow 1883) (Gymnorhina).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (insignis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens insignis
insignis
L. insignis  extraordinary, remarkable, notable (e.g. very large)  < in   towards; signum  mark.

Pale-breasted Spinetail (occipitalis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens occipitalis
occipitalis
Late L. occipitalis  of the back of the head, occipital  < L. occipitium  occiput  < ob  towards, over; caput, capitis  head.
● ex “Azur à Calotte et à Collier Noir” of Levaillant 1805 (syn. Hypothymis azurea).
● ex “Huppard” of Levaillant 1796, pl. 2  < French huppe  crest; Busard  hawk (Lophaetus).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (littoralis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens littoralis
littorale / littoralis
L. litoralis  littoral, of the shore  < litus, litoris  shore, beach.

Pale-breasted Spinetail (perpallida)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens perpallida
perpallida / perpallidus
L. perpallidus  very pale  < per-  very, all; pallidus  pale  < pallere  to be pale.

Pale-breasted Spinetail (nesiotis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens nesiotis
nesiotis
Gr. νησιωτης nēsiōtēs  islander  < νησος nēsos  island.
● The Campbell Island Teal is confined to one small island of the Campbell Is. group south of New Zealand. Marchant & Higgins 1990, assumed the name to be a compound of Gr. νησιον nēsion islet, and ωτις ōtis eared (i.e. the island form of Anas chlorotis). No etymology is given in the original description (J. Fleming 1935), and the name could also be construed a compound of the specific combinations Nesonetta aucklandica, Auckland Island Teal, and Elasmonetta chlorotis, Brown Teal, with which species A. nesiotis was directly compared (Anas).
● “The name ‘Island-hen’ given to this bird by the inhabitants of Tristan d’Acunha has suggested to me the specific name nesiotis” (P. Sclater 1861) (‡Porphyriornis).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (trinitatis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens trinitatis
trinitatis
Late L. Trinitas  the Holy Trinity  < L. trini  three together  < tres  three.
● Trinidad (Spanish Isla de la Trinidad  Island of the Holy Trinity) (syn. Coereba flaveola luteola, subsp. Colaptes rubiginosus, syn. Cyanerpes caeruleus longirostris, syn. Cyclarhis gujanensis flavipectus, Euphonia, subsp. Icterus nigrogularis, subsp. Manacus manacus, subsp. Myiopagis gaimardii, subsp. Pitangus sulphuratus, subsp. Pulsatrix perspicillata, subsp. Ramphocaenus melanurus, subsp. Sakesphorus canadensis, subsp. Synallaxis albescens, subsp. Tangara guttata, subsp. Zentrygon linearis).
● La Trinidad, Benguet, northern Luzon, Philippines (syn. Ficedula hyperythra luzoniensis).
● South Trinidade I. (= Trindade), Brazil, South Atlantic Ocean (subsp. Fregata ariel, syn. Pterodroma arminjoniana).
● El Valle de la Trinidad, Baja California, Mexico (subsp. Toxostoma crissale).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (josephinae)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens josephinae
josephina / josephinae
● Benoîte-Marguerite-Joséphine Lacroix née Labruyère (fl. 1833) wife of French politician and benefactor of natural history Charles-Julien Lacroix  (Martin Schneider and Laurent Raty in litt.) (subsp. Chrysuronia oenone).
● Josephine Vavasour McConnell (1906-1982) daughter of English collector Frederick Vavasour McConnell (Hemitriccus, subsp. Synallaxis albescens).
● Joséphine de Beauharnais (née Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie) Empress Consort of the French (1763-1814; reigned 1804-1814) (syn. Podica senegalensis).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (inaequalis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens inaequalis
inaequalis
L. inaequalis  unequal, uneven, unlike, various  < in-  not; aequalis  even  < aequare  to make level.
• "Basileuterus coronatus inaequalis, new subspecies.  ...  Nearest to B. c. elatus  of northwestern Ecuador, but differs by slightly darker back, gray instead of rufescent nape (centrally), usually duller forehead (buffy instead of rufous in most cases), and vey slightly greater average lengths of wing and tail." (J. Zimmer 1949) (subsp. Myiothlypis coronata).
• "Synallaxis albescens inaequalis, new subspecies.  ...  Similar to S. a. josephinae of British Guiana and southwestern Venezuela (vicinity of  Mt. Duida), but much paler; back with a grayish tinge about as in specimens of S. a. perpallida from the state of Lara, Venezuela, but rufous color of cap and upper wing-coverts decidedly darker than in Lara birds, paler than in josephinae, between the colors of trinitatis and occipitalis" (J. Zimmer 1935) (subsp. Synallaxis albescens).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (griseonota)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens griseonota
griseonota / griseonotus
Med. L. griseum grey; Gr. -νωτος -nōtos -backed < νωτον nōton back.

Pale-breasted Spinetail (albescens)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens albescens
albescens
L. albescens, albescentis  whitish  < albescere  to become white  < albere  to be white  < albus  white.
● ex “Busard” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 423 (= ?♀) (?syn. Accipiter gentilis).
● ex “Blanchard” of Levaillant 1796, pl. 3 (= ☼) (syn. Stephanoaetus coronatus).

Pale-breasted Spinetail (australis)
SCI Name: Synallaxis albescens australis
australe / australis
L. australis  southern  < auster, austri  south.
● Tierra del Fuego; ex “Thorn-tailed Warbler” of Latham 1783 (syn. Aphrastura spinicauda).
● Cayenne; ex “Southern Sandpiper” of Latham 1785 (?syn. Calidris canutus).
● Erroneous TL "Friendly Islands" (= Tasmania); ex "South-Sea Raven" of Latham 1781 (syn. Corvus coronoides).
● Erroneous TL. New Guinea (= Luzon, Philippines); ex “Manikor de la Nouvelle Guinée” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Dicaeum).
● Australia; ex “New Holland Snipe” of Latham 1801 (syn. Gallinago hardwickii).
● Australia; ex “Pacific Paroquet (var.)” of Phillip 1789 (syn. Glossopsitta concinna).
● Australia; ex “New Holland Pelican” of Latham 1824 (syn. Pelecanus conspicillatus).
● Australia; ex “Cold-river Goatsucker” of Latham 1823 (syn. Podargus strigoides).
● Australia; ex “New Holland Quail” of Latham 1802 (Synoicus).
● Tasmania; ex Brown MS (syn. Lathamus discolor).
● Dusky Sound, New Zealand (syn. Nestor meridionalis).
● Staten I., off Tierra del Fuego (= Isla de los Estados, Argentina); ex “Statenland Eagle” of Latham 1781 (Phalcoboenus).
● Christmas I.; ex "Southern Tern" of Latham 1785 (syn. Procelsterna caerulea) (so identified by Stresemann 1950).
● Kerguelen I.; ex “Southern Tern” of Latham 1785 (?syn. Sterna vittata).
● Madagascar; ex “Palumbus viridis Madagascariensis” of Brisson 1760 (Treron).
● Erroneous TL. Sandwich Is. (= Samoa); ex “Blue-crested Parrakeet” of Latham 1781 (Vini).
● Tierra del Fuego; ex “Rusty-collared Finch” of Latham 1783 (subsp. Zonotrichia capensis).