Acanthornis Magna Bird

English Name:  Scrubtit
Latin Name:  Acanthornis magna
Protonym:  Acanthiza magna BirdsAustr.Supp. Suppl., pt2 pl.28
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Acanthizidae / Acanthornis
Taxonomy Code:  scrubt2
Type Locality:  Tasmania.
Author:  Gould
Publish Year:  1855
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ACANTHORNIS
(Acanthizidae; Ϯ Scrubtit A. magna) Portmanteau of genera Acanthiza Vigors & Horsfield, 1827, thornbill, and Sericornis Gould, 1838, sericornis; "There has been an unnecessary separation of genera in many families of Australian birds. There is nothing more perplexing to the young student than this, and I have, in cases where there are no differences of external structures, discarded many such genera. It has been found necessary, however, to separate the so-called Great Acanthiza as a new genus Acanthornis, which will appear in a paper on Tasmanian Birds in The Ibis for 1887.   ...   *Acanthornis magna, Gould. White-breasted Bush Tit." (Legge 1887); "The largest species of the so-called "Acanthizas" of Tasmania is the Acanthiza magna of Gould, figured as a Sericornis in his Supplement, and described later in his 'Handbook,' vol. i. p. 373, as an Acanthiza. A comparison of this species with its Tasmanian allies, the members of the genus Acanthiza, and with Sericornis humilis, has led me to the conclusion that the structure of its bill and wing warrant its separation from these latter genera, and I therefore propose a new genus for its reception, which I call Acanthornis. The bill in Acanthornis is distinctly curved throughout, and is also laterally compressed, while the bills in Acanthiza and Sericornis are straight and wide at the base, and less compressed than in the former." (Legge 1888); "Acanthornis Legge, 1887, Pap. Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasmania (1886), p. 236. Type, by monotypy, Acanthiza magna Gould." (Mayr in Peters 1986, XI, 414).

magna
L. magnus  great, large, mighty.
● ex “Grand Promérops de la nouvelle Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 639, and Sonnerat 1776, “Grand Promérops à paremens frisés” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Grand Promerops” of Latham 1782 (syn. Epimachus fastuosus).
● ex “Tangara des grands bois de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 205, “Grand Tangara” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Grand Tanager” of Latham 1783 (syn. Saltator maximus).
● "93. ALAUDA.  ...  magna.  9. A. subtus flava, fascia pectorali curva nigra: rectricibus tribus lateralibus albis.  Alauda magna. Catesb. car. 1. p. 33. t. 33.  Habitat in America, Africa.  Corpus scolopacinum, magnitudine Turdi, totum subtus flavissimum. Pectus macula magna nigricante lunari. Remiges fuscæ: secundariæ testaceo maculatæ. Cauda rotundata: Rectrices 3 laterales maximam partem albæ. Unguis posticus pedum major, sed magis curvus quam in reliquis. Rostrum rectum: Maxilla superior teretiuscula, basi nuda." (Linnaeus 1758) (Sturnella).
● ex “Grand Traquet” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Dark Warbler” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

SUBSPECIES

Scrubtit (magna)
Latin Name: Acanthornis magna magna
magna
L. magnus  great, large, mighty.
● ex “Grand Promérops de la nouvelle Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 639, and Sonnerat 1776, “Grand Promérops à paremens frisés” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Grand Promerops” of Latham 1782 (syn. Epimachus fastuosus).
● ex “Tangara des grands bois de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 205, “Grand Tangara” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Grand Tanager” of Latham 1783 (syn. Saltator maximus).
● "93. ALAUDA.  ...  magna.  9. A. subtus flava, fascia pectorali curva nigra: rectricibus tribus lateralibus albis.  Alauda magna. Catesb. car. 1. p. 33. t. 33.  Habitat in America, Africa.  Corpus scolopacinum, magnitudine Turdi, totum subtus flavissimum. Pectus macula magna nigricante lunari. Remiges fuscæ: secundariæ testaceo maculatæ. Cauda rotundata: Rectrices 3 laterales maximam partem albæ. Unguis posticus pedum major, sed magis curvus quam in reliquis. Rostrum rectum: Maxilla superior teretiuscula, basi nuda." (Linnaeus 1758) (Sturnella).
● ex “Grand Traquet” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Dark Warbler” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

Scrubtit (greeniana)
Latin Name: Acanthornis magna greeniana
greeniana / greenianus
Dr Robert Geoffrey Green (b. 1925) Australian farmer, wildlife-photographer, zoologist at Queen Victoria Mus., Launceston, Tasmania, conservationist (subsp. Acanthornis magna).