Vol. 35, pp. 41-46 March 20, 1922 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW GENUS AND FOUR NEW SUBSPECIES OF 



AMERICAN BIRDS. 



BY ALEXANDER WETMORE AND JAMES L. PETERS. 



Examination of specimens collected during 1920 and 1921 

 in South America, in connection with older material already 

 available, has shown several forms not currently recognized by 

 ornithologists; further two species of tapaculos, usually associ- 

 ated in one genus are found to differ so strikingly as to merit 

 their separation in distinct generic groups. Descriptions of a 

 new genus for one of these, and of subspecies of the other birds 

 in question follow. 



Teledromas, gen. nov. 



Characters. — Similar to Rhinocrypta Gray' but head not crested; bill 

 relatively stronger and heavier; under tail-coverts equal to less than half 

 the length of tail; hind toe with claw longer than second toe with claw. 



Type. — Rhinocrypta fusca Sclater and Salvin,^ which will now stand as 

 Teledromas fuscus (Sclater and Salvin). 



Remarks. — As the genus Rhinomya established in 1832 by Isidore 

 Geoflfroy and d'Orbigny for the species that they described^ as Rhinomya 

 lanceolata was antedated by Rhinomya Robineau-Desvoidy,* a genus of 

 Diptera published in 1830, Gray in 1841 (1. c.) replaced it by Rhinocrypta, 

 with Rhinomya lanceolata as the type and only species then known. Later 

 Gistel^ noted this same duplication of names, and, apparently unaware 

 of Gray's action, proposed Rhinornis for Rhinomya of Isidore Geoffroy and 

 d'Orbigny. All of these names refer to Rhinocrypta lanceolata and so far 

 as we are aware no other generic names have been suggested in connection 

 with the two birds under discussion. 



Though the two species that have been included in the genus Rhino- 



iList Gen. Birds, 1841, p. 25. 



2Nom. Av. Neotr., 1873, p. 161 (Mendoza). 



3Mag. Zool., 1832, cl. II. pi. 3. 



4J. B. Robineau-Desvoidy, Essai sur les Myodaires, 1830, p. 123. 



6Naturg. Thierreichs fiir Hoh. Schul., 1848, p. x. 



8— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 35, 1922. (41) 



