Remarks. There has been historic confusion over the authority for this genus (e.g. Sieg, 1983: 108–109; Guţu, 1980: 393; Larsen, 2005: 77), but, as Sars (1882: 18) clearly designates it as “ Sphyrapus Norman M.S. ” (“M.S.” meaning “manuscript”, not the initials of Alfred Merle Norman), then under Article 50.1. 1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the authority is Norman, 1882 (or “Norman in Sieg, 1882 ”).
Conversely, while Sars (ibid.) listed four named species (including “ Sphyrapus malleolus Norman M.S. ” and “ Sphyrapus tudes Norman M.S. ”: Sars 1882, p. 20), he did not designate a type-species. As Sars’ publications of S. malleolus and S. tudes did not meet the criteria of Article 12 of the ICZN, each of the names as used in the 1882 publication becomes a nomen nudum. Norman & Stebbing (1886) described S. malleolus (and S. tudes), and designated it validly as the type-species, as it meets the requirements of Articles 67.2. 1 and 69.1 of the ICZN, and then conforms with Articles 12 and 50. The type-species of Sphyrapus is thus Sphyrapus malleolus Norman & Stebbing, 1886; the authority for Sphyrapus tudes is also Norman & Stebbing, 1886.
Fortuitously, Guţu (1980; 2001) was correct, when splitting Pseudosphyrapus and Ansphyrapus (respectively) from Sphyrapus, in leaving S. malleolus (only) in Sphyrapus.