White-fronted Chat

SCI Name:  Epthianura albifrons
Protonym:  Acanthiza albifrons Ill.Orn. 2 pl.56,text
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Meliphagidae / Epthianura
Taxonomy Code:  whfcha1
Type Locality:  New South Wales.
Author:  Jardine & Selby
Publish Year:  1828
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

EPTHIANURA
(Meliphagidae; Ϯ White-fronted Chat E. albifrons) Gr. εφθος ephthos  refined, languid; ουρα oura  tail; “Genus EPTHIANURA.  Bill shorter than the head, nearly straight, compressed laterally, notched at the tip, gonys incurved; nostrils basal, linear, and covered by a membrane; wings long, first quill spurious, second very long, third and fourth equal and longest; tertials very long; tail short and truncate; tarsi entire, moderately long, slight; toes slender, the hinder toe and claw shorter than the middle one, the inner toe rather shorter than the outer.   Type. Acanthiza albifrons, Jard. and Selb.    EPTHIANURA AURIFRONS.” (Gould 1838); “Mayr (in Mayr & Cottrell 1986) noted that Epthianura, as described in Gould’s ‘A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia’, part 4, App., p. 3, was corrected on p. 4 to Ephthianura ... An examination of two copies of this work reveals that Epthianura was used on both pages. What Gould thought of as his original description under this name was not published until some seven months after his Synopsis  ...  where Ephthianura was used. Gould used Ephthianura in July 1841 ...  and later again Ephthianura in the same year ...  In March and June 1842, in the relevant parts of ‘The Birds of Australia’ ...  Gould again used Epthianura ... However, in 1845 Gould used both Epthianura ...  and Ephthianura; ...  Ephthianura reappears in his ‘Introduction’ (1848c), then Epthianura in 1849 (Sturt & Gould 1849) and twice in 1861 ... then back to Ephthianura in his ‘Handbook’ (1865) ...  Obviously, Gould never came to a firm decision on his spelling of the name ...  In such a situation of inconsistent usage, it is best to retain the name as it was originally published in 1838” (McAllan & Bruce 1989).  
Var. Ephthianura, Ephthrianura, Hepthaenura.   
Synon. Aurepthianura, Cinura, Keartlandia, Leachena, Parepthianura.

albifrons
L. albus  white; frons, frontis  forehead, brow.
● ex “White-fronted Owl” of Latham 1787 (syn. Aegolius acadicus).
● ex “White-crowned Parrot” of Latham 1781 (Amazona).
● ex “Cola aguda vientre de canela” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 234 (Donacospiza).
● ex “White-fronted Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Miro australis).
● ex “White-faced Manakin” of Edwards 1764 (Pithys).