Rock Pipit

SCI Name:  Anthus petrosus
Protonym:  Alauda petrosa Trans.Linn.Soc.London(1), 4 p.41
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Motacillidae / Anthus
Taxonomy Code:  rocpip1
Type Locality:  coast of Wales.
Author:  Montagu
Publish Year:  1798
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ANTHUS
(Motacillidae; † Meadow Pipit A. pratensis) L. anthus  small bird that inhabited grasslands mentioned by Pliny, not further identified, but probably the Yellow Wagtail  < Gr. ανθος anthos  small, brightly coloured bird mentioned by Aristotle.  In Gr. myth. Anthus, son of Antinous and Hippodamia, was killed by his father’s horses and metamorphosed into a bird which imitated the neighing of horses but fled at their sight; "47. Pieper. Anthus.  Ich rechne zu dieser neuen Gattung vier Arten.   ...   Das was Frisch in der Naturgeschichte von No. III. von der Greuthlerche erzählt, gehört eigentlich zur Pieplerche (Alauda trivialis), die er Wiesenlerche nennt.  Das aber, was er von der Wiesenlerche No. IV. sagt, paßt nur auf die Brachlerche (Alauda campestris).  Das, was er von felner Pieplerche sagt, hat zwar seine Richtigkeit, allein die Ueberschrift ist falsch, und sollte eigentlich Wiesenlerche (Alauda pratensis) heißen *).  ...  *) Diese Vögel, nämlich die Brach- Piep- und Wiesenlerche haben zu vielen Irrthümern in den naturhistorischen Schriften Anlaß gegeben. Ich habe mich selbst irre führen lassen. Ich habe daher für dieselben, da sie zu auffallend von den Lerchen abweichen, eine besondere Gattung, die ich Anthus nenne, gebildet.   ...   161. Die Brachlerche oder der Brachpieper. Alauda campestris. L. Taf. 15. Fig. 2. b. (Anthus campestris, mihi." (Bechstein 1805); "Anthus Bechstein, Gemein. Naturg. Deutschl. ii, pp. 247, 302, 1805.  Type by subsequent designation of Mathews (Austral Av. Rec. ii, p. 123, 1918), Alauda campestris.  ...  This genus until recently has been quoted from Bechstein's third volume, p. 704, 1807, and the type designated by Gray in 1840 as A. spinoletta.  Under the earlier citation of Anthus, here quoted, the Water-Pipit is not mentioned, so that it cannot under the Rules be designated as the type of the genus.  The three species which are mentioned by Bechstein are A. campestris, A. trivialis, and A. pratensis.  Sharpe, in Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. x, p. 534, 1885, designated A. trivialis, but did not quote the earlier reference to Bechstein.  Mathews subsequently therefore (Austral Av. Rec. ii, p. 123, 1918) designated A. campestris, which is here accepted as the type." (W. Sclater, 1930, Syst. Av. Aethiop., II, 340); "Anthus Bechstein, 1805, Gemein. Nat. Deutschl., 2, p. 247, 302, 465.  Type, by subsequent designation, Alauda pratensis Linnaeus (Selby, 1825, Illust. Brit. Orn., p. xxix)." (Vaurie in Peters, 1960, IX, p. 144).
Var. Arthur, Artthus.
Synon. Afranthus, Agrodroma, Anomalanthana, Anomalanthus, Austranthus, Caffranthus, Cichlops, Cinaedium, Corydalla, Dendronanthus, Heterura, Leimoniptera, Meganthus, Megistina, Neocorys, Notiocorys, Oreocorys, Pediocorys, Petranthus, Pipastes, Rhabdochlamys, Seiren, Spipola, Xanthocorys.

petrosa / petrosus
L. petrosus  rocky, full of rocks  < petra  rock, stone  < Gr. πετρα petra  rock.
● ex “Perdrix de roche” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Alectoris barbara).
● ex “Perdrix de roche ou de la Gambia” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Rufousbreasted Partridge” of Latham 1783 (Ptilopachus).

SUBSPECIES

Rock Pipit (Western)
SCI Name: Anthus petrosus petrosus/kleinschmidti
ANTHUS
(Motacillidae; † Meadow Pipit A. pratensis) L. anthus  small bird that inhabited grasslands mentioned by Pliny, not further identified, but probably the Yellow Wagtail  < Gr. ανθος anthos  small, brightly coloured bird mentioned by Aristotle.  In Gr. myth. Anthus, son of Antinous and Hippodamia, was killed by his father’s horses and metamorphosed into a bird which imitated the neighing of horses but fled at their sight; "47. Pieper. Anthus.  Ich rechne zu dieser neuen Gattung vier Arten.   ...   Das was Frisch in der Naturgeschichte von No. III. von der Greuthlerche erzählt, gehört eigentlich zur Pieplerche (Alauda trivialis), die er Wiesenlerche nennt.  Das aber, was er von der Wiesenlerche No. IV. sagt, paßt nur auf die Brachlerche (Alauda campestris).  Das, was er von felner Pieplerche sagt, hat zwar seine Richtigkeit, allein die Ueberschrift ist falsch, und sollte eigentlich Wiesenlerche (Alauda pratensis) heißen *).  ...  *) Diese Vögel, nämlich die Brach- Piep- und Wiesenlerche haben zu vielen Irrthümern in den naturhistorischen Schriften Anlaß gegeben. Ich habe mich selbst irre führen lassen. Ich habe daher für dieselben, da sie zu auffallend von den Lerchen abweichen, eine besondere Gattung, die ich Anthus nenne, gebildet.   ...   161. Die Brachlerche oder der Brachpieper. Alauda campestris. L. Taf. 15. Fig. 2. b. (Anthus campestris, mihi." (Bechstein 1805); "Anthus Bechstein, Gemein. Naturg. Deutschl. ii, pp. 247, 302, 1805.  Type by subsequent designation of Mathews (Austral Av. Rec. ii, p. 123, 1918), Alauda campestris.  ...  This genus until recently has been quoted from Bechstein's third volume, p. 704, 1807, and the type designated by Gray in 1840 as A. spinoletta.  Under the earlier citation of Anthus, here quoted, the Water-Pipit is not mentioned, so that it cannot under the Rules be designated as the type of the genus.  The three species which are mentioned by Bechstein are A. campestris, A. trivialis, and A. pratensis.  Sharpe, in Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. x, p. 534, 1885, designated A. trivialis, but did not quote the earlier reference to Bechstein.  Mathews subsequently therefore (Austral Av. Rec. ii, p. 123, 1918) designated A. campestris, which is here accepted as the type." (W. Sclater, 1930, Syst. Av. Aethiop., II, 340); "Anthus Bechstein, 1805, Gemein. Nat. Deutschl., 2, p. 247, 302, 465.  Type, by subsequent designation, Alauda pratensis Linnaeus (Selby, 1825, Illust. Brit. Orn., p. xxix)." (Vaurie in Peters, 1960, IX, p. 144).
Var. Arthur, Artthus.
Synon. Afranthus, Agrodroma, Anomalanthana, Anomalanthus, Austranthus, Caffranthus, Cichlops, Cinaedium, Corydalla, Dendronanthus, Heterura, Leimoniptera, Meganthus, Megistina, Neocorys, Notiocorys, Oreocorys, Pediocorys, Petranthus, Pipastes, Rhabdochlamys, Seiren, Spipola, Xanthocorys.

Rock Pipit (Eastern)
SCI Name: Anthus petrosus littoralis
littorale / littoralis
L. litoralis  littoral, of the shore  < litus, litoris  shore, beach.