Anthus Spinoletta Bird

English Name:  Water Pipit
Latin Name:  Anthus spinoletta
Protonym:  Alauda Spinoletta Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.166
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Motacillidae / Anthus
Taxonomy Code:  watpip1
Type Locality:  Italy.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ANTHUS
(Motacillidae; † Meadow Pipit A. pratensis) L. anthus  small bird that inhabited grasslands mentioned by Pliny, not further identified, but probably the Yellow Wagtail  < Gr. ανθος anthos  small, brightly coloured bird mentioned by Aristotle.  In Gr. myth. Anthus, son of Antinous and Hippodamia, was killed by his father’s horses and metamorphosed into a bird which imitated the neighing of horses but fled at their sight; "47. Pieper. Anthus.  Ich rechne zu dieser neuen Gattung vier Arten.   ...   Das was Frisch in der Naturgeschichte von No. III. von der Greuthlerche erzählt, gehört eigentlich zur Pieplerche (Alauda trivialis), die er Wiesenlerche nennt.  Das aber, was er von der Wiesenlerche No. IV. sagt, paßt nur auf die Brachlerche (Alauda campestris).  Das, was er von felner Pieplerche sagt, hat zwar seine Richtigkeit, allein die Ueberschrift ist falsch, und sollte eigentlich Wiesenlerche (Alauda pratensis) heißen *).  ...  *) Diese Vögel, nämlich die Brach- Piep- und Wiesenlerche haben zu vielen Irrthümern in den naturhistorischen Schriften Anlaß gegeben. Ich habe mich selbst irre führen lassen. Ich habe daher für dieselben, da sie zu auffallend von den Lerchen abweichen, eine besondere Gattung, die ich Anthus nenne, gebildet.   ...   161. Die Brachlerche oder der Brachpieper. Alauda campestris. L. Taf. 15. Fig. 2. b. (Anthus campestris, mihi." (Bechstein 1805); "Anthus Bechstein, Gemein. Naturg. Deutschl. ii, pp. 247, 302, 1805.  Type by subsequent designation of Mathews (Austral Av. Rec. ii, p. 123, 1918), Alauda campestris.  ...  This genus until recently has been quoted from Bechstein's third volume, p. 704, 1807, and the type designated by Gray in 1840 as A. spinoletta.  Under the earlier citation of Anthus, here quoted, the Water-Pipit is not mentioned, so that it cannot under the Rules be designated as the type of the genus.  The three species which are mentioned by Bechstein are A. campestris, A. trivialis, and A. pratensis.  Sharpe, in Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. x, p. 534, 1885, designated A. trivialis, but did not quote the earlier reference to Bechstein.  Mathews subsequently therefore (Austral Av. Rec. ii, p. 123, 1918) designated A. campestris, which is here accepted as the type." (W. Sclater, 1930, Syst. Av. Aethiop., II, 340); "Anthus Bechstein, 1805, Gemein. Nat. Deutschl., 2, p. 247, 302, 465.  Type, by subsequent designation, Alauda pratensis Linnaeus (Selby, 1825, Illust. Brit. Orn., p. xxix)." (Vaurie in Peters, 1960, IX, p. 144).
Var. Arthur, Artthus.
Synon. Afranthus, Agrodroma, Anomalanthana, Anomalanthus, Austranthus, Caffranthus, Cichlops, Cinaedium, Corydalla, Dendronanthus, Heterura, Leimoniptera, Meganthus, Megistina, Neocorys, Notiocorys, Oreocorys, Pediocorys, Petranthus, Pipastes, Rhabdochlamys, Seiren, Spipola, Xanthocorys.

spinoletta
Local Florentine name Spipoletta for a pipit; "93. ALAUDA.  ...  Spinoletta.  7. A. rectricibus fuscis: extimis duabus oblique dimidiato-albis.  Spinoletta florentinis.  Raj. av. 70. Will. orn. 152.  Habitat in Italia." (Linnaeus 1758) (Anthus).

SUBSPECIES

Water Pipit (Western)
Latin Name: Anthus spinoletta spinoletta
spinoletta
Local Florentine name Spipoletta for a pipit; "93. ALAUDA.  ...  Spinoletta.  7. A. rectricibus fuscis: extimis duabus oblique dimidiato-albis.  Spinoletta florentinis.  Raj. av. 70. Will. orn. 152.  Habitat in Italia." (Linnaeus 1758) (Anthus).

Water Pipit (Caucasian)
Latin Name: Anthus spinoletta coutellii
coutellii
Jean Marie Joseph Coutelle (1748-1835) French scientist, balloon pioneer (subsp. Anthus spinoletta).

Water Pipit (Blakiston's)
Latin Name: Anthus spinoletta blakistoni
blakistoni
Capt. Thomas Wright Blakiston (1832-1892) English naturalist, explorer in Canada, China and Japan (syn. Alauda arvensis pekinensis, subsp. Anthus spinoletta, Bubo, syn. Delichon dasypus, syn. Locustella ochotensis, syn. Motacilla alba lugens, subsp. Turnix suscitator).