Encyclopedian Dictionary: Taphrospilus hypostictus ( Many-spotted Hummingbird )


Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom	Animalia – Animal, animals
Phylum	Chordata – chordates
Subphylum	Vertebrata – vertebrates
Class	Aves – Birds
Order	Apodiformes – Swifts, Hummingbirds
Family	Trochilidae – Hummingbirds
Subfamily	Trochilinae
Genus	Aphantochroa Gould, 1853

From Monograph of the Trochilidae by J. Gould, ©1887:

APHANTOCHROA HYPOSTICTA, Gould.

Spotted-breasted Humming-bird.

Aphantochroa hyposticta, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1862, p. 124.— Sclater & Salv. Nomencl. Av. Neotr. p. 80 (1873). —Whitely, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 189.—Taczanowski, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, p. 545.—Elliot, Synopsis of the Humming-Birds, p. 29 (1878).— Sclater & Salv. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1879, p. 627.—Eudes-Deslongchamps, Annuaire Mus. d'Hist. Nat. Caen i. p. 164 (1880).
Aphantochroa hypostictus, Mulsant, Hist. Nat. Oiseaux-Mouches, iv. p. 151 (1876).
Polytmus hypostictus, Gray, Hand-list of Birds, i. p. 125, no. 1571 (1879).

Some years ago I received specimens of the present bird from Quito, but I have recently considered that they were collected near the waters of the Upper Napo. The species differs from A. cirrhochloris in its spotted breast, in its shorter tail, and its rather more lengthened and curved bill.
It has also been obtained by Mr. Whitely at San Antonio in Eastern Peru, by Jelski at Soriano in Northern Peru, and by Buckley at Nairapi in Bolivia, showing that it has a wide range through the eastern slopes of the Andes.
I extract the following description from my original paper : —
“ All the upper surface, wing-and tail-coverts deep green; wings purplish brown; tail dull purplish green, deepening into blackish brown at the tip, the two outer feathers on each side very slightly fringed with white at the tip; feathers of the throat, breast, and centre of the abdomen dull white at the base, with a spot of dull green near the tip, giving those parts a spotted appearance; remainder of the under surface dull green; under tail-coverts dull green at the base, deepening into black near the end, and fringed with grey; tarsi and thighs rather thickly clothed with white feathers; bill black, except at the base of the under mandible, which appears to have been flesh-colour. Total length 4 1/2 inches, bill 1 3/16, wing 2 3/4, tail 1 7/8.”

The figures in the Plate represent an adult bird in two positions.

Verification

“ On the second name: without tackling the full sorting out of the matter it is my guess that the name
Aphantochroa hypostictais held by Peters V:61 as Talaphorus hypostictus(Gould) 1862.
This is at least a beginning to sleuthing out what the current status of the name is (it clearly is held to be a synonym of something else).
I hope that helps.
Alan
(A further guess would be that Vieillot's original combination may well have been Trochilus cirrochloris) -- I just checked this... it WAS.

Alan P. Peterson, M.D.

Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom	Animalia – Animal, animals
Phylum	Chordata – chordates
Subphylum	Vertebrata – vertebrates
Class	Aves – Birds
Order	Apodiformes – Swifts, Hummingbirds
Family	Trochilidae – Hummingbirds
Subfamily	Trochilinae
Genus	Taphrospilus Simon, 1910
Species	Taphrospilus hypostictus (Gould, 1862) – Many-spotted Hummingbird