Venezuelan Tyrannulet

SCI Name:  Zimmerius petersi
Protonym:  Tyranniscus petersi Ornis 14 p.359
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Tyrannidae / Zimmerius
Taxonomy Code:  paltyr5
Type Locality:  Antimano, near Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela.
Author:  von Berlepsch
Publish Year:  1907
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ZIMMERIUS
(Tyrannidae; Ϯ Golden-faced Tyrannulet Z. chrysops) Dr John Todd Zimmer (1889-1957) US ornithologist, taxonomist; "Despite the superficial similarity, I believe the group of Tyranniscus species with the unique wing pattern, syrinx and aberrant nasal septum, should be separated generically from the typical group of species. Surprisingly, there is no name available, so I propose: Zimmerius gen. nov., type Tyrannulus chrysops Sclater, 1858.    Diagnosis. Superficially most like Tyranniscus Cabanis and Heine, 1859, but differs as follows: has a unique wing pattern in which the median and greater coverts, the secondaries and four or five subexternal primaries are edged with yellow, while the outermost and four or five internal primaries are blackish, producing a black wedge when the wing is spread; tail proportionately longer, greater than 80 per cent of wing length instead of less than 80 per cent, and bill proportionately longer, greater than 18 per cent of wing length: tarsus basically exaspidean with a few scutes on the proximal half of the plantar surface, compared to taxaspidean/pycnaspidean in Tyranniscus; syrinx unlike any other in the Elaeniiinae, lacking intrinsic muscles   ...   The species included in Zimmerius, all formerly in Tyranniscus, are bolivianus, vilissimus, cinereicapillus, gracilipes and viridiflavus (including chrysops).  The genus is named for the late John Todd Zimmer in belated recognition of his enormous contributions to the systematics of Neotropical birds and his recognition of the unique wing pattern in this new genus." (Traylor 1977); "Zimmerius Traylor, 1977, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 148, p. 147.  Type, by original designation, Tyrannulus chrysops Sclater." (Traylor in Peters, 1979, VIII, p. 8).

petersi / petersii
● Prof. Wilhelm Karl Hartwig Peters (1815-1883) German zoologist, collector in tropical Africa 1842-1848 (subsp. Podica senegalensis).
● Dr James Lee Peters (1889-1952) US ornithologist, nomenclaturist, Curator of Birds MCZ (subsp. Aethopyga saturata, subsp. Agelasticus thilius, subsp. Coccyzus longirostris, syn. Coracina schistacea, subsp. Hydrornis soror, syn. Hylatomus lineatus similis, subsp. Pheugopedius maculipectus, syn. Picoides kizuki matsudairai, syn. Rupornis magnirostris griseocauda, subsp. Schoeniophylax phryganophilus, Xenodacnis).
● Ernst Peters (fl. 1890) German student, collector in Venezuela 1890 (Zimmerius).