Pardipicus nivosus
Creators: name: Dowsett, Robert J.
name: Gregory, Steven M. S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Piciformes
Picidae
Pardipicus
Pardipicus nivosus

description: A recent molecular study by Fuchs et al. (2017) has shown that two Afrotropical woodpeckers usually placed in the genus Campethera G.R. Gray, 1841 (e.g. by Dickinson & Remsen 2013; del Hoyo & Collar 2014; Winkler et al. 2014)—Browneared Woodpecker C. caroli (Malherbe, 1852) and Buff-spotted Woodpecker C. nivosa (Swainson, 1837) —are generically distinct from others of that genus, which has as type species Picus maculosus Valenciennes, 1826.
Fuchs et al. (2017: 96) suggest that these two species should be placed in the genus Stictopicus Malherbe, 1861, following Wolters (1977). However, that genus has as type species the Nubian Woodpecker Picus nubicus Boddaert, 1783 (Malherbe 1861: liii), whereas Malherbe on the same page showed Chloropicus caroli Malherbe, 1852 as the sole species of Pardipicus.
In fact the generic name Pardipicus was first introduced by Bonaparte (1854a: 129), but there it is a nomen nudum. It was subsequently validated by Bonaparte (1854b: 124), with four nominal species included: nigri-guttatus Verr., caroli Malh., nivosus Sw., and pardinus Temm. Gray (1855: 93) appeared to select “ Picus nigriguttatus Verr [eaux].” as the type. However this was only a MS name, and as shown by Hargitt (1890: 304) it is associated with Dendrobates (now Dendropicos) gabonensis J.P. & J.B.E. Verreaux, 1851, doubtless the nominate form. Thus the designation of nigriguttatus as the type of Pardipicus, repeated by Hargitt (1890: 293), is not supportable. Malherbe (1861) mentioned Pardipicus three times in his text, in addition to the table on p. liii, although in association with “ nigriguttatus ” on pp. lvii and lx. Unfortunately none of these would appear to be a valid type designation, although Reichenow (1902: 167) had accepted Malherbe’s emendation [nec Bp., 1854], listing Pardipicus with caroli as type, and repeated Gray’s invalid designation on p. 191.
The synonymy of Campethera listed by Peters (1948: 116) did not include Pardipicus, and the extensive footnote in Cabanis & Heine (1863: 130) simply reiterated the species included by Bonaparte (1854b), and that Gray (1855) had ‘selected’ “ nigriguttatus ” Verr. as the type, associating it with D. gabonensis. Heine (1860: 192) proposed Stictocraugus as a nomen novum for Pardipicus Bonaparte, 1854, but with no associated species mentioned. The next available name would seem to be Cnipotheres Cabanis & Heine, 1863: 131, with type by monotypy, C [nipotheres]. caroli = Chloropicus caroli Malherbe, 1852.
We believe this difficult situation is best resolved by recognizing the genus Pardipicus Bonaparte, 1854. Of the four taxa associated with Pardipicus by Bonaparte, we reject the MS name nigriguttatus, which is a form of Dendropicos Malherbe, 1849, and of the three that can be related to Pardipicus
we choose and designate Chloropicus caroli Malherbe, 1852 as the type species. Pardipicus is a masculine genus (Picus in Latin, a woodpecker and other meanings),
and thus the species formerly known as Campethera nivosa becomes
Pardipicus nivosus.
description: Published as part of Dowsett, Robert J. & Gregory, Steven M. S., 2020, The correct genus for the Afrotropical woodpeckers Campethera caroli and Campethera nivosa (Aves: Piciformes, Picidae), pp. 189-190 in Zootaxa 4772 (1) on page 189, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4772.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/3814514