Basic nomenclatural history of Seaside Sparrow in relation to the genus Ammodramus and associated genera.
Reference
Genus1
Type Species2
Remarks
1
Wilson, A. (1811). American Ornithology. Volume 4. Bradford and Inskeep, Philadelphia, PA, USA. pp. 68–69.
Fringilla Linnaeus, 1758
“Fringilla” ( = Fringilla coelebs L., 1758)
Wilson described this new species in volume 4 of American Ornithology and comments on habits, diet, and habitat.
96
Swainson, W. (1827). On several groups and forms in Ornithology, not hitherto defined. Zoological Journal 3:343–363, 433–442.
Ammodramus Swainson, 1827
Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin, 1788
This genus was the taxonomic “home” for the Seaside Sparrow for much of its early and late nomenlatural history. Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin was mistakenly assigned by Swainson as the original type species of the genus. Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin is the earliest name of the “Sharp-tailed Sparrow” Ammodramus caudacuta (Gmelin); see Coturniculus and Ammospiza below.
271
American Ornithologists' Union (1886). The code of nomenclature and check-list of North American birds. American Ornithologists' Union, New York, NY, USA.
Ammodramus Swainson, 1827
Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin, 1788
The Seaside Sparrow is placed together with “Sharp-tailed Sparrow” as relatives in a broad conception of Ammodramus, subdivided into 4 subgenera including Ammodramus and Coturniculus in this first edition of the Check-list (1886). The error concerning the type species for Ammodramus remains uncorrected in this and in the second edition.
272
American Ornithologists' Union (1895). Check-list of North American Birds, second and revised edition. American Ornithologists' Union, New York, NY, USA.
Ammodramus Swainson, 1827
Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin, 1788
The treatment of Ammodramus in the second edition (1895) remains unchanged.
273
Ridgway, R. (1901). The birds of North and Middle america: A descriptive catalogue of the higher groups, genera, species, and subspecies of birds known to occur in North America, from the Artic Lands to the Isthmus of Panama, the West Indies and other Islands of the Caribbean Sea, and the Galapagos Archipielago. Part 1, Family FRINGILLIDAE - The finches. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 50.
Ammodramus Swainson, 1827
Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin, 1788
Ridgway restricts Ammodramus to include only A. maritimus, A. caudacutus, and A. leconteii, and A. henslowii, while Coturniculus Bonaparte applies only to Grasshopper Sparrows. However, Ridgway comments that Coturniculus may belong to Ammodramus.
94
Oberholser, H. C. (1905). Notes on the nomenclature of certain genera of birds. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 48:59–68.
Coturniculus Bonaparte, 1838
Fringilla passerina Wilson, 1811
Oberholser emends the error in type species designation for Ammodramus. He points out that an earlier name for Coturniculus Bonaparte was found in Ammodramus Swainson, the real type of which is Ammodramus bimaculatus Swainson and was first use of the original description of A. bimaculatus, the western continental form of A. savannarum (Gmelin, 1788). Also see Ammospiza next. Thus, the genus Ammodramus Gmelin is now formally linked with Grasshopper Sparrow and not Saltmarsh Sparrow.
94
Oberholser, H. C. (1905). Notes on the nomenclature of certain genera of birds. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 48:59–68.
Ammospiza Oberholser, 1905
Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin, 1788
Because the generic name belongs to Coturniculus Swainson and the latter is a synonym of Ammodramus, as shown above, another name is needed for the group to which Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin previously applied (see AOU Check-list, second edition above). Thus, Oberholser introduced the genus Ammospiza, which carries Gmelin”s name as its type species and also is associated with “Sharp-tailed Sparrow” Ammospiza caudacuta.
274
American Ornithologists' Union (1910). Check-list of North American Birds. Third edition. American Ornithologists' Union, New York, NY, USA.
This Check-list edition (1910) affirmed application of Oberholser”s correction of Gmelin”s type species Oriolus caudacutus to “Sharp-tailed Sparrow” (= Passerherbulus caudacutus in this Check-list). However, based on an assessment in Stone (1907),the AOU Check-list followed the conclusion that Ammodramus Swainson, 1827, is a synonym of Passerherbulus Maynard, and because it is a prior name to Oberholser”s Ammospiza, 1905, Passerherbulus was adopted in the Check-list.
275
American Ornithologists' Union (1931) Check-list of North American Birds. Fourth edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Lancaster, PA, USA.
The fourth edition of the Check-list (1931) made another change resulting in a split of the Seaside Sparrow and its two closest “marshland” relatives into Ammospiza Oberholser leaving only Grasshopper Sparrow in the genus Ammodramus Gmelin.
44
Hellmayr, C. E. (1938). Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. Ploceidae-Catamblyrhynchidae-Fringilidae. Field Museum of Natural History (Zoological Series) 13(11):1–662.
Hellmayr follows AOU Check-list, fourth edition nomenclature leaving the two species of “marshland sparrows” in Ammospiza. Thryospiza Oberholser (1917) becomes a synonym of Ammospiza in Hellmayr (1938) and remains there.
276
American Ornithologists' Union (1957). Check-list of North American birds. Fifth edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA.
This is the last AOU Check-list (1957) edition to treat subspecies. This Check-list retains the Seaside Sparrow and its marshland relative in Ammospiza and maintains Hellmayr”s breakdown of genera covering the drier “grassland” species (e.g., Ammodramus, Passerherbulus).
99
Murray, B. G., Jr. (1968). The relationships of sparrows in the genera Ammodramus, Passerherbulus, and Ammospiza, with a description of a hybrid Le Conte's x Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Auk 85:586–593.
Ammospiza Oberholser, 1905
[as in AOU Check-list, 5th edition]
Murray here makes the case that LeConte”s Sparrow not only belongs in Ammospiza Gmelin with the other “marshland” sparrows, but also it is closest relative to “Sharp-tailed Sparrow” A. caudacuta, thus implying Seaside Sparrow is basal (oldest) in the group.
277
Paynter, R. A., and R. W. Storer (1970). Check-list of Birds of the World: A Continuation of the Work of James L. Peters. Volume 13. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Once again, Seaside Sparrow (most all grassland and marshland sparrows) is placed in the genus Ammodramus in a much broadened concept of the taxon. This decision is based on similarity in form and graminoid habitat and its implied monophyletic ancestry, which was doubted, cannot be tested until phylogenetic methods are developed. The enlarged genus covers species rank taxa from Junco to Spizella (see synonyms in Paynter and Storer 1970).
278
American Ornithologists' Union (1983) Check-list of North American Birds. Sixth edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA.
This AOU Check-list (1983) mostly follows Paynter and Storer (1970) on the Seaside Sparrow and most of its relatives with the exception of Passerculus Bonaparte, which covers Savannah Sparrows.
279
Sibley, C. G., and B. L. Monroe (1990). Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, USA.
Ammodramus Swainson, 1827
[not identified]
This checklist has a world view perspective on avian species, but is based broadly on the DNA hybridization work of 92
Sibley, C. G., and J. E. Ahlquist (1990). Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: a Study in Molecular Evolution. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, USA.
, which in turn had little species-level resolution including on the Seaside Sparrow and its close relatives. The nomenclature on the Seaside Sparrow and its closest relatives follows the AOU Check-list sixth edition.
280
American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA.
The nomenclature of interest here in the seventh edition of the AOU Check-list (1998) follows that of the sixth edition Check-list.
97
Chesser, R. T., K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, A. W. Kratter, I. J. Lovette, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen Jr., D. F. Stotz, B. M. Winger, and K. Winker (2018). Fifty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American birds. Auk: Ornithological Advances 135:798–813.
Finally, American Ornithological Society (A.O.S. replacing AOU) restores the “marshland” sparrows to Ammospiza Oberholser. This group of sparrows, now composed of four species (A. leconteii, A. maritima, A. nelsoni, and A. caudacuta) has maritima sister to both nelsoni and caudacuta, with leconteii sister to the other three. Ammospiza is confirmed as a monophyletic taxon (e.g., 100
Klicka, J., and G. M. Spellman (2007). A molecular evaluation of the North American "grassland" sparrow clade. Auk 124:537–551.
, 281
Barker, F. K., K. J. Burns, J. Klicka, S. M. Lanyon, and I. J. Lovette (2015). New insights into New World biogeography: an integrated view from the phylogeny of blackbirds, cardinals, sparrows, tanagers, warblers, and allies. Auk 132:333–348.
).
1Publication year that genus taxon was introduced and described by author.
2Type species of the genus, which functions as the name carrier for the taxon, either designated by original author or subsequently by a first reviser.