Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler

SCI Name:  Pomatorhinus musicus
Protonym:  Pomatorrhinus musicus J.N.ChinaBranchR.As.Soc. 1 p. 228
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Timaliidae / Pomatorhinus
Taxonomy Code:  taiscb1
Type Locality:  Formosa.
Author:  Swinhoe
Publish Year:  1859
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

POMATORHINUS
(Timaliidae; Ϯ Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler P. montanus) Gr. πωμα pōma, πωματος pōmatos  lid, cover; ῥις rhis, ῥινος rhinos  nostrils; “Gen. 32.  POMATORHINUS.   Rostrum longiusculum, basi rectum, ultra nares modici incurvum et abruptius compressum, mesorhinio elevato: culmine validiusculo, carinato, apice integro.  Nares operculo corneo oblongo convexo clausæ, apertura oblique postice spectans, juxta capistrum fornicata.  Alæ rotundatæ. Remiges: 1 et 2 abrupte, 3 et 4 gradatim increscentes, 3-7 externe tenuiter emarginatæ.  Cauda rotundata, elongata.  Pedes subelongati. Digitus medius longior, cum exteriore basi leviter connexus. Ungues compressi, arcuati, posteriore majore, validiore.  Acropodia scutulata; acrotarsia obscurior.   The corneous covering of the nares and its sudden compression and equal breadth beyond these form the distinguishing character of this genus, in which it differs both from the two following genera [Prinia, Orthotomus], and from that extensive group which comprises Certhia, Nectarinia and Cinnyris. The prominent, rounded and very gradually attenuated back or culmen is also peculiar to this genus.   Spec. 1.  Pomatorhinus montanus.  ...  Bokkrek, Javanis.” (Horsfield 1821); "Pomatorhinus Horsfield, 1821, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, p. 164. Type, by monotypy, Pomatorhinus montanus Horsfield." (Deignan in Peters 1964, X, 266).
Var. Pomathorinus, Pomathorhinus, Pomathorrhinus, Pomatorrhinus.
Synon. Xiphirhynchus, Xiphorhamphus.

pomatorhinus
Gr. πωμα pōma, πωματος pōmatos  lid, cover; ῥις rhis, ῥινος rhinos  nostrils.
● See: pomarinus

musicus
L. musicus  musical  < Gr. μουσικος mousikos  musical, harmonious  < μουσικη mousikē  music.
● ex “Musicien de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 706, fig. 2, and “Arada” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Cyphorhinus arada).
● ex “Drongear” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 167 (syn. Dicrurus adsimilis).
● ex “Faucon Chanteur” of Levaillant 1798, pl. 27 (syn. Melierax canorus).
● ex “Sénégali Chanteur” of Vieillot 1805 (syn. Ochrospiza leucopygia).
● "95. TURDUS.  ...  musicus.  4. T. alis subtus ferrugineis, linea superciliorum albicante. Fn. svec. 189 [= T. philomelos + T. iliacus].  Turdus simpliciter dictus viscivorus minor. Will. orn. 138. t. 37. Raj. av. 64. n. 2.  Turdus musicus. Frisch. av. t. 27. f. 1. 2. Alb. av. I. p. 32, 33. t. 35, 34 [= T. iliacus].  Habitat in Europæ sylvis; nido ex luto.  E summitatae arboris vere Lusciniam cantilena imitatur, Disseminator cum præcedentibus [T. iliacus]  Juniperi." (Linnaeus 1758) (syn. Turdus iliacus, syn. Turdus philomelos).

Musicus
(Dicruridae; syn. Dicrurus Ϯ Fork-tailed Drongo D. adsimilis) L. musicus  musician (cf. specific name Dicrurus musicus Vieillot, 1817). The Fork-tailed Drongo is not known for its musical tones, but it does mimic a variety of other creatures. Reichenbach's 1850, plate LXXXVIII, labelled Hirundineae: Trogoninae et Dicrurinae, contains a variety of drongos and trogons, as well as woodswallows, a flycatcher, and a bird of paradise; "751. Dicrourus  ...  c. Africani.  18. LANIUS forficatus, L. (drongo, Shaw. - Muscicapa galeata, Bodd.-Dicrurus cristatus, Vieill.)  ...  19. D. mystaceus, Vieill.(Muscicapa divaricata, Licht.)  ...  20. D. ludwigii, Smith. 1834.  ...  21. D. musicus, Vieill.  ...  *22. MUSCICAPA emarginata, Licht.  ...  23. EDOLIUS lugubris, Ehrenb.  ...  24. D. canipennis, Sw.  ...  25. D. atripennis, Sw." (Bonaparte 1850 (Conspectus)); "8. Musicus, Reich., pour les espèces noires africains de mon Conspectus, auxquelles il faut ajouter: Dicrourus modestus, Hartl. (erythrophthalmus du prince Paul de Wurtemberg), du Sennaar et de l'île de Saint-Thomas, sur la côte occidentale d'Afrique, et le D. coracinus, Verr., du Gabon.  ...  Muscicapa dinovicata, Licht., est synonyme, et le nom plus ancien, de D. canipennis, Sw., auquel Cabanis la substitue." (Bonaparte 1854); "Musicus Reichenbach, 1850, Avium Systema Naturale, pl. LXXXVIII (no specific names given).  Type, by subsequent designation and tautonymy (G. Gray, 1855, Cat. Genera Subgenera Birds Brit. Mus., p. 59), Edolius musicus Vieill., i.e. Dicrurus musicus Vieillot, 1817 = Corvus adsimilis Bechstein, 1794." (JAJ 2021).