116 Bulletin ofZoologicalNomenclature53(2)June 1996 Case 2970 Tyrannula minima Baird & Baird, 1843 (currently Empidonax minimus) and Contopus pertinax Cabanis & Heine, 1859 (Aves, Passeriformes): proposed conservation of the specific names Richard C. Banks & M. Ralph Browning National Biological Service, National Museum ofNatural History, MRC 111, Washington, DC. 20560-0111. U.S.A. Abstract.The purpose of this appHcation is to conserve the specific names of two North American tyrant flycatchers (family tyrannidae), Empidonax minima (Baird & Baird, 1843), the least flycatcher, and Contopuspertinax Cabanis & Heine, 1859, thegreaterpewee. Thenamesarethreatened bythevirtuallyunusedseniorsynonyms Platyrhynclmspusillus and Tyrannula musicu respectively, both ofSwainson (1827). Keywords. Nomenclature; taxonomy: Aves; tyrant flycatchers; least flycatcher; greater pewee; Empidonax minimus; Contopuspertinax; North America. 1. In a paper on birds collected by William Bullock in Mexico, Swainson (1827, p. 366) described and named Plutyrhynchus pusillus from the 'maritime parts of Mexico". Later, he (1832, pp. 144-146) gave a detailed description, accompanied by measurements and a color plate, of a bird from Carlton House, Saskatchewan, Canada, under the name Tyrannula pusilla. Although Swainson (1832) mentioned that hecompared the Carlton House bird with one from the shores ofMexico, there is no known extant type specimen nora specimen from Carlton House. On the basis ofthatcomparison, Swainson(1832)placedpusillain thegenus TyrannulaSwainson. 1827. 2. Baird & Baird (1843, p. 284) described and named a tyrant flycatcher (family TYRANNIDAE) Tyrannula minima, noting that the wing formula oftheir bird differed from the formulagiven by Swainson(1832)for T. pusilla.TheholotypeofT. minima. from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is catalog no. 4465 in the collection ofthe Academy of Natural Sciences ofPhiladelphia (see Stone. 1899, p. 23). 3. Within thecurrentgenus EmpidonaxCabanis, 1855, in the 19thcenturypusillus wastreated in variousways. Usuallythespecieswasconfusedwith Empidonaxtraillii (Audubon, 1828). Baird(1858,p. 194)used/;(/.?///(«asthenameofaspeciesoccurring geographically between E. traillii and minimus. Coues (1884, p. 442) treatedpusillus as a species aligned with, possibly the same as, trailliiand replacing that form to the west. The American Ornithologists" Union (A.O.U.) (1886, p. 235)considered traillii a subspecies of pusillus, which had equal status with minimus. It is not certain, however, that any of those authorities were usingpusillus for the same taxon that Swainsondid.Theconfusionissummarizedby Brewster(1895, p. 161)whosuggested that until Swainson's type from Mexico w—as found and studied '—... we arejustified in ignoring the namepusillus and adopting or rather retaining that oftraillii for Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 53(2)June 1996 117 the flycatcher which we have just been considering'. Akhough several writers discussed the identity ofSwainson'spusillus after that time, none used it as a vahd name between 1895 and 1964. 4. Todd (1963, p. 482) believed that the name Empidonaxpusillusbelonged to the species generally known as E. minimus but used the latter name 'to avoid further changes and confusion in the nomenclature ofthis difficult group ofbirds'. Phillips, Marshall & Monson (1964, p. 87) and Monson & Phillips (1981, p. 104) used the name Empidonaxpusillus(Swainson) for the species known for the previous 70years as Empidonax minimus (Baird & Baird), but did not give the original citation for Swainson's name or the reason for its use. Rea (1983, p. 188) followed Phillips et al. (1964) in the use ofpusillus, indicating that it was based on Platyrhynchus pusillus Swainson, 1827. To our knowledge, no other writer has used the name pusillus Swainson for a species ofEmpidonax. 5. Platyrhynchus pusillus Swainson, 1827 has priority over its putative synonym Tyrannula minima Baird & Baird, 1843. However, to resurrect Swainson's long- unused name would cause considerable confusion because Empidonax minimus (Baird & Baird, 1843) is well known in the recent literature (see, for example, the representative works by Miller, Friedmann, Griscom & Moore, 1957, p. 87; Traylor, 1979,p. 140;A.O.U., 1983,p.453;andSibley& Monroe, 1990,p. 354). Furthermore, the identity of Platyrhynchus pusillus Swainson is uncertain in the absence of a holotype. We therefore propose that the usage of Baird & Baird's (1843) name minimus be maintained and that Swainson's (1827) name be suppressed. 6. Inthesamepaper(para. 1 above), Swainson(1827, p. 368)alsobrieflydescribed and named the new species Tyrannulamusica. Hedid not give a locality ordesignate a holotype and his description was merely 'Cinereous-brown, beneath dirty yellow, tail forked; wings lengthened, brown; bill strongly hooked'. 7. Cabanis & Heine (1859, p. 72) described and named Contopuspertinax from Xalapa (= Jalapa, Mexico). The location ofthe holotype, formerly in the Museum Heineanum, is unknown (see Miller, Friedmann, Griscom & Moore, 1957, p. 95). 8. Historic valid use of the name Contopus nmsicus (Swainson, 1827), for the tyrant flycatcher that is currently universally called Contopus pertinax Cabanis & Heine, 1859, is limited to Swainson (1832, p. 132), Salvin & Godman (1880, pp. 81-82), Sharpe (1901, p. 141) and Dubois (1903, p. 1078). Ridgway (1907, p. 514) listed musica Swainson as a possible synonym ofpertinax. Hellmayr (1927, p. 203) remarked that Swainson's (1827) description of musica 'appears to me unidentifiable". 9. Phillips (in Phillips, Marshall & Monson, 1964, p. 90) adopted the name Tyrannula musica in place ofthe well known T. pertinax without explanation. Later Phillips (in Phillips & Short, 1968, pp. 91-93) reported the discovery ofthe type of Swainson's Tyrannulamusica. Hestatedthat 'both thedescription[by Swainson] and the name itselfapply so clearly to this species' but did not provide further details. A specimen (catalog no. 27/Tyr/57/e/l in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, U.K.), considered tobe thetype ofTyrannulamusicabyA.R. Phillips in 1966, has the locality 'Mexico'. This specimen, according to notes by C.W. Benson, was considered by Phillips to be a Bullock specimen and therefore from Swainson's collection (in litt., R.J. Symonds). There is, however, no label to indicate that the specimen hadbelongedtoSwainson. MeasurementsofthespecimentakenbyPhillips 118 Bulletin ol"Zoological Nomenclature 53(2)June 1996 in 1966 do not agree with those given by Swainson (1827, p. 368): wing 100 mm ('4;'=108.1 mm in Swainson): tail 83 mm {3!"=89 mm in Swainson). 10. Recent useofSwainson's namemiixicciin thegenus Coniopushasbeen only by Phillips(in Phillipsetal. 1964. p. 90; in Phillips& Short. 1967, pp. 91-93; in Monson & Phillips, 1981). Except as noted in paras. 8 and 9 above, all other authors use the specific name peiiinax Cabanis & Heine. Examples of recent works demonstrating thisusageinclude Miller, Friedmann, Griscom & Moore(1957, p. 84),A.O.U. (1957, p. 347; 1983, pp. 447-448), Davis (1972, p. 139), Russell (1964, p. 122), Monroe (1968, p. 265), Binford (1989, p. 176) and Sibley & Monroe (1990, p. 352). Wolters (1977, p. 177) listed muska Swainson as a nomen dubium. Traylor (1979, p. 129, footnote) considered muska Swainson. 1827 a nomen oblitum. We propose that the usageofCuiuopusperiimixCabanis& Heine, 1859 be maintained by thesuppression of Tyrannuhi nnisicu Swainson, 1827. 11. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is accordingly asked: (1) to use its plenary powers to suppress the following specific names for the purposes of the Principle of Priority but not for those of the Principle of Homonymy: (d)pusiUus Swainson, 1827, as published in the binomen Pkiiyrhynchus pusiUus; (h)muska Swainson, 1827, as published in the binomen Tyrannula muska: (2) to placeon theOfficial List ofSpecific Names inZoologythe followingnames: {a) minima Baird & Baird, 1843. as published in the binomen Tyraimula minima: (h)pertinax Cabanis & Heine, 1859, as published in the binomen Coniopus periinax: (3) to place on the Oflicial Index of Rejected and Invalid Specific Names in Zoology the following names: (a)pusillusSwainson, 1827, aspublished in thebinomen Platyrhynchuspusillus and as suppressed in (l)(a) above; (b)musica Swainson, 1827, as published in the binomen Tyrramilamusicaand as suppressed in (l)(b) above. References American Ornithologists' Union. 1886. 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