Chlamydera nuchalis yorki Mayr and Jennings

Chlamydera nuchalis yorki Mayr and Jennings, 1952: 14 (Utingu, Cape York).

Now Chlamydera nuchalis orientalis Gould, 1879. See Mayr, 1962c: 180; Gilliard, 1969: 371–373; Schodde and Mason, 1999: 636–637; Dickinson, 2003: 428; and Frith and Frith, 2004: 424–426; 2009a: 403.

HOLOTYPE: AMNH 679231, adult female, collected at Utingu, Cape York, Queensland, Australia, on 22 June 1912, by Robin Kemp (no. 1103). From the Mathews Collection via the Rothschild Collection.

COMMENTS: In the original description, Mayr and Jennings cited the AMNH number of the holotype and gave wing measurements for the following Cape York specimens: adult and subadult males, five; immature males, one; adult females, five; immature females, four. They noted that the population from Cairns and Cooktown was intermediate between yorki and orientalis, and thus not included in yorki. Because Mayr and Jennings thought that many of the specimens were incorrectly sexed, they wrote their determination of sex on the reverse of the label. In the following list of paratypes, the sex assigned the specimens by Mayr and Jennings is listed first, followed by the sex given by the collector in brackets. Paratypes of yorki: Watson River, AMNH 679222, adult male [male], AMNH 679223, immature female [female], 22–26 June 1914, probably collected by W.R. Maclennan; Cable Station, Cape York, AMNH 679224, immature male [male], 30 April 1913, collected by Robin Kemp; Utingu, Cape York, AMNH 679225, adult male [male], AMNH 679226, immature female [male?], AMNH 679227, adult female [male], AMNH 679228, adult male [male], AMNH 679229, subadult male [male], AMNH 679230, adult female [female], AMNH 679232, adult female [female], AMNH 679233, immature female [female], AMNH 679234, immature female [female?], all collected between 22 June and 28 September 1912, by Robin Kemp. One male and one adult female listed by Mayr and Jennings are not among the paratypes above. A possible paratype is AMNH 679221, male, Karumba, Norman River, 19 April 1914, collected by Robin Kemp.

Schodde and Mason (1999: 636–637) did not recognize yorki and subsequent authors have agreed.

According to Jack (1921: 342, 749) Utingu was a coconut plantation opposite Possession Island, 10.43S, 142.24E (USBGN, 1957).