Thick-billed Grasswren

SCI Name:  Amytornis modestus
Protonym:  Amytis modesta Vict.Nat. 19 p.103
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Maluridae / Amytornis
Taxonomy Code:  thbgra4
Type Locality:  Meerenie Bluff, Macdonnell Ranges, central Australia.
Author:  North
Publish Year:  1902
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

AMYTORNIS
(Maluridae; Ϯ Thick-billed Grasswren A. textilis) Genus Amytis Lesson, 1831, grasswren; Gr. ορνις ornis, ορνιθος ornithos  bird; "Textile Wren ... its mode of progression on the ground is such as no description can convey an accurate conception of, and must be seen to be understood: I cannot perhaps compare it with anything, unless with the motion of an Indian-rubber ball when thrown forcibly along the ground. While stealing from bush to bush, with this rapid movement, its head low and tail perfectly erect, it presents an exceedingly droll appearance" (Gould 1865); "Malurinæ  ...  Amytornis textilis, with two allied species, also from Australia, belong here, wren-like birds of brown plumage, with curious whitish longitudinal streaks" (Stejneger 1885); "Amytornis Stejneger, 1885, in Kingsley, Standard Nat. Hist., 4, p. 499. New name for Amytis Lesson, 1831, preoccupied by Amytis Savigny, 1822." (Mayr in Peters, 1986, XI, p. 404).   
Synon. Amictus, Amytis, Cryptamytis, Diaphorillas, Eyramytis, Magnamytis, Mytisa.

modesta / modestum / modestus
L. modestus  plain, modest, unassuming  < modus  measure, standard.

SUBSPECIES

Thick-billed Grasswren (modestus)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus modestus
modesta / modestum / modestus
L. modestus  plain, modest, unassuming  < modus  measure, standard.

Thick-billed Grasswren (indulkanna)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus indulkanna
indulkanna
Indulkanna Springs, Indulkanna Ranges (= Indulkana Ranges), South Australia.

Thick-billed Grasswren (cowarie)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus cowarie
cowarie
"Named for the pastoral property Cowarie Station [north-eastern South Australia], which harbours almost its entire population and which itself is named after a small locally occurring carnivorous marsupial, the Kowari Dasyuroides byrnei. The name is that of the Dieri people of the region, in earlier orthography rendered Kau-ri  ... and as Cowirrie" (A. Black 2016) (subsp. Amytornis modestus).

Thick-billed Grasswren (raglessi)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus raglessi
raglessi
Gordon Beaumont Ragless (1909-2002) Australian farmer, oologist, founder member of Blackwood Amateur Radio Club 1923, President of South Australian Ornithological Association 1957-1960 (subsp. Amytornis modestus).

Thick-billed Grasswren (curnamona)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus curnamona
curnamona
Curnamona Station, eastern South Australia.

Thick-billed Grasswren (obscurior)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus obscurior
obscurior / obscuriora
L. obscurior, obscurioris  darker  < comp. obscurus  dark, obscure.

Thick-billed Grasswren (inexpectatus)
SCI Name: Amytornis modestus inexpectatus
inexpecta / inexpectata / inexpectatum / inexpectatus / inexpectus / inexspectata / inexspectatus
L. inexspectatus  unexpected, surprising, unlooked for  < in-  not; exspectatus  awaited, expected  < exspectare  to await.
● “In view of the stability shown by Arremonops conirostris conirostris through a wide area, the appearance of this form so near the type-locality of that race is surprising and inexplicable” (Chapman 1914) (subsp. Arremonops conirostris).
● “It certainly was unexpected to find such a striking and hitherto unknown species on Guadalcanar, and this and the discovery of other new forms on the island shows that the ornithological exploration of Guadalcanar has hitherto been very imperfect” (Hartert 1929) (Guadalcanaria).
● “et necata inexpectatum nobis gaudium dedit novae speciei, ante nunquam visae” (Forster 1844) (Pterodroma).
● "Named both for the unexpected nature of its distribution, being restricted to two provinces of Ghana, and the fact that there are no obvious geographic barriers that separate it from two other members of the genus" (Voelker et al. 2016) (subsp. Stiphrornis erythrothorax).
● “On examining a large series of birdskins collected in the northern parts of Celebes and presented to the Leyden Museum by S. C. I. W. van Musschenbroek, Esq., I was quite astonished to find, that there exists in the Minahassa, beside Strix [= Tyto ] Rosenbergii, another large species of Barn-owl, very different as well from Strix Rosenbergii as from all the other known species” (Schlegel 1879) (Tyto).