Alethe Castanea Bird

English Name:  Fire-crested Alethe
Latin Name:  Alethe castanea
Protonym:  Napothera castanea Proc.Acad.Nat.Sci.Philadelphia 8 p.158
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Muscicapidae / Alethe
Taxonomy Code:  ficale2
Type Locality:  Moonda River, western Africa.
Author:  Cassin
Publish Year:  1856
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ALETHE
(Muscicapidae; Ϯ Fire-crested Alethe A. castanea) Alethe, attendant of the Sacred Ibis in the Temple of Isis (cf. Gr. αληθης alēthēs  sincere, actual; myth. Alethes, a king of Corinth); "Genus ALETHE, nobis.  General form and aspect of Napothera, but with the bill thicker, the bristles at the base of the upper mandible weaker and shorter, and in general characters more approaching Cossypha and Geocichla. Wing rather long, first quill short, fourth and fifth longest, tail moderate, legs rather strong.    75. ALETHE CASTANEA, (Cassin.)  Napothera castanea, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Philada. 1856, p. 158." (Cassin 1859); "Alethe Cassin, 1859, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 11, p. 43. Type, by monotypy, Napothera castanea Cassin." (Ripley in Peters, 1964, X, p. 61).

castanea
L. castaneus  chestnut-coloured, chestnut-brown  < castanea  chestnut  < Gr. καστανον kastanon  chestnut.
● ex Ardea ralloides Scopoli, 1769, and “Castaneous Heron” of Latham 1785 (syn. Ardeola ralloides).
● ex “Merle doré de Madagascar” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 539, fig. 2 (Philepitta).
● (Kuhl 1820) ex “Gobe-mouche huppé du Cap de Bonne Espérance” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 234, fig. 1 (syn. Terpsiphone paradisi).
● (Temminck 1835) ex “Tchitrec bé varié” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 146 (syn. Terpsiphone paradisi).
● ex “Pigeon de la Martinique” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Zenaida aurita).

SUBSPECIES

Fire-crested Alethe (castanea)
Latin Name: Alethe castanea castanea
castanea
L. castaneus  chestnut-coloured, chestnut-brown  < castanea  chestnut  < Gr. καστανον kastanon  chestnut.
● ex Ardea ralloides Scopoli, 1769, and “Castaneous Heron” of Latham 1785 (syn. Ardeola ralloides).
● ex “Merle doré de Madagascar” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 539, fig. 2 (Philepitta).
● (Kuhl 1820) ex “Gobe-mouche huppé du Cap de Bonne Espérance” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 234, fig. 1 (syn. Terpsiphone paradisi).
● (Temminck 1835) ex “Tchitrec bé varié” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 146 (syn. Terpsiphone paradisi).
● ex “Pigeon de la Martinique” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Zenaida aurita).

Fire-crested Alethe (woosnami)
Latin Name: Alethe castanea woosnami
woosnami
Maj. Richard Bowen Woosnam (1880–1915) British Army in South Africa and the Dardanelles, collector, explorer in tropical Africa and the Middle East (subsp. Alethe castanea, subsp. Bleda syndactylus, Cisticola).