Western Spindalis

SCI Name:  Spindalis zena
Protonym:  Fringilla Zena Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.181
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Spindalidae / Spindalis
Taxonomy Code:  wesspi
Type Locality:  Bahama Islands [= New Providence, fide Hellmayr, 1936, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 13, pt. 9, p. 239] .
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

SPINDALIS
(Spindalidae; Ϯ Jamaican Spindalis S. nigricephala) Gr. σπινδαλος spindalos or πινδαλος pindalos  unknown Indian bird, variously identified but said to be akin to ατταγας attagas. These mainly Antillean birds were formerly known as stripe-headed tanagers; "GENUS SPINDALIS, JARD. & SELBY.   CHAR. GEN.—Rostrum subbreve, validum, ad basin trigonum, apice compresso, emarginato, culmine arcuato, tomiis subsinuatis, in medio rostri introrsum inclinantibus; naribus nudis, rotundatis. Alæ mediocres, subrotundæ, remige 1^mo. 2^do. brevioribus, 3^tio. 4^toque æqualibus, longissimis. Cauda mediocris, æqualis. Pedes breviusculi subfortes.    SPINDALIS BILINEATUS, JARD. & SELBY.  ....  from Jamaica,  in the interior and mountainous part of which island they were procured by our correspondent. Judging from the general characters the bird presents, it appears to belong to the Tanagrinæ or Tanagers (the sub-typical or dentirostral division of the Fringillidæ), a group inhabiting the islands and continent of America; but as it exhibits characters different from any of the established generic divisions belonging to this sub-family, we have thought it necessary to give its peculiar characters." (Jardine & Selby 1837); "Spindalis Jardine and Selby, 1837, Illus. Ornith., new ser., 4, pl. 9. Type, by monotypy, Spindalis bilineatus Jardine and Selby = Tanagra nigricephala Jameson." (Storer in Peters 1970, XIII, 316).
Var. Spindasis (genus Spinus Koch, 1816, siskin; Gr. δασος dasos  thicket).
Synon. Spizampelis.

zena
Gr. ζηνα zēna or ζηνη zēnē  type of finch, probably the Goldfinch (see Carduelis).
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  Zena.  31. F. capite pectoreque nigris, dorso alis caudaque obscure virescentibus.  Passer bicolor bahamensis. Catesb. car. I. p. 37. t. 37.  Habitat in America." (Linnaeus 1758) (syn. Melanospiza bicolor).
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  Zena.  15. F. capite nigro, fascia alba alarum supra infraque oculos, pectore fulvo.  Fringilla bahamensis. Catesb. car. I. p. 42. t. 42.  Habitat in America meridionali." (Linnaeus 1758) (Spindalis).

SUBSPECIES

Western Spindalis (Bahamas Black-backed)
SCI Name: Spindalis zena zena
zena
Gr. ζηνα zēna or ζηνη zēnē  type of finch, probably the Goldfinch (see Carduelis).
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  Zena.  31. F. capite pectoreque nigris, dorso alis caudaque obscure virescentibus.  Passer bicolor bahamensis. Catesb. car. I. p. 37. t. 37.  Habitat in America." (Linnaeus 1758) (syn. Melanospiza bicolor).
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  Zena.  15. F. capite nigro, fascia alba alarum supra infraque oculos, pectore fulvo.  Fringilla bahamensis. Catesb. car. I. p. 42. t. 42.  Habitat in America meridionali." (Linnaeus 1758) (Spindalis).

Western Spindalis (Bahamas Green-backed)
SCI Name: Spindalis zena townsendi
townsendi / townsendii
● John Kirk Townsend (1809-1851) US ornithologist, explorer, collector (syn. Aphriza virgata, syn. Brachyramphus marmoratus, syn. Cinclus mexicanus unicolor, syn. Haematopus ater, Myadestes, subsp. Passerella unalaschcensis, syn. Phalacrocorax penicillatus, Setophaga, ‡Spiza).
● Charles Haskins Townsend (1859-1944) US naturalist, Fisheries Commission 1883, Director of New York Aquarium 1902-1937 (subsp. Aerodramus spodiopygius, subsp. Ducula oceanica, syn. Geospiza psittacula, syn. Hydrobates melania, subsp. Junco hyemalis, syn. Lagopus muta, subsp. Myiagra vanikorensis, subsp. Plectrophenax nivalis).
● Dr Charles Wendell Townsend (1859-1934) US obstetrician, field ornithologist, world-wide traveller, collector 1906-1932 (subsp. Cardinalis cardinalis, subsp. Spindalis zena, subsp. Thalurania colombica).

Western Spindalis (Cuban)
SCI Name: Spindalis zena pretrei
pretrei
Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (1768-1849) Swiss artist, bird painter at the Natural History Mus., Paris (Amazona, syn. Chlorophonia pyrrhophrys, Phaethornis, subsp. Spindalis zena).

Western Spindalis (Grand Cayman I.)
SCI Name: Spindalis zena salvini
salvini / salvinii
Osbert Salvin (1835-1898) English ornithologist, Curator of Ornithology, Cambridge University 1874-1882, collector (syn. Accipiter erythronemius ventralis, syn. Alaemon alaudipes, syn. Amazilia violiceps, subsp. Amazona autumnalis, Antrostomus, subsp. Basileuterus rufifrons, syn. Certhidea olivacea, subsp. Chlorostilbon canivetii, subsp. Colinus virginianus, syn. Crypturellus variegatus, subsp. Cyphorhinus arada, subsp. Empidonax flavescens, subsp. Eubucco bourcierii, subsp. Eutoxeres aquila, subsp. Geospiza parvula, subsp. Habia fuscicauda, syn. Heliodoxa xanthogonys, subsp. Icterus mesomelas, subsp. Knipolegus poecilurus, subsp. Lampornis amethystinus, Mitu, subsp. Neomorphus geoffroyi, Oneillornis, Pachyptila, subsp. Pachyramphus albogriseus (ex Pachyramphus similis Salvin, 1895), subsp. Paraclaravis mondetoura, subsp. Picumnus exilis, syn. Popelairia conversii, subsp. Sclerurus guatemalensis, subsp. Sicalis olivascens, subsp. Spindalis zena, subsp. Sporophila funerea, Thalassarche, syn. Tinamus major fuscipennis, Tumbezia, subsp. Vireo pallens).

Western Spindalis (Cozumel I.)
SCI Name: Spindalis zena benedicti
benedicti
Dr James Everard Benedict (1854-1940) US zoologist, collector (subsp. Spindalis zena).