ART. 7 REVISION OF THE GENUS BASILEUTERUS TODD 55 



EASILEUTERUS MERIDANUS Sharpe 



Basileuterus Uvittatus (not Musoicapa Mvitfata Lafresnaye and D"Oibiguy) 

 ScLATER and gAL\aN, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loudon, 1870, p. 780 (Merida, 

 Venezuela ) . 



Basileuterus merUJaniis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. IMus.. vol. 10, 1885, p. o87 

 (Merida. Venezuela: orig. descr. : type in coll. Brit. Mus.). 



Basileuterus tristriatus meridanus Hellmayr, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 

 1911, p. 1092, in text (Merida, Cumbre de Valencia. " Carip^." and 

 Bucarito, Venezuela; crit.). — Hellmayr and von Seilekn, Arch. f. 

 Naturg., vol. 78, A. 1912, p. 47 (Cumbre de Valencia, San Esteban, Merida, 

 and "Caripe," Venezuela; crit.). — Hellmayr, Auz. Orn. Ges. Bayern, 

 No. 6, 1922, p. 44. in text ti'auge; crit.). — Chapman, Amer. Mus. Nov. 

 No. 143, 1924, p. 4 (range), p. 7 (diag. ; El Liman, Venezuela). — 

 Hellmayr, Arcb. f. Naturg., vol. 90, A, 1924, p. 158, in text (Curabre de 

 Valencia, Merida, and Bucarito, Venezuela; range; crit.). 



Basileutei'us tristriatus bessei'ei'i Hellmayr. Anz. Orn. Ges. Bayern, No. G, 

 1924, p. 44 (Silla de Caracas [type locality] and Galipan, Venezuela; 

 orig. descr.; type in coll. Zool. Mus. Munich). — Chapman, Amer. Mus. 

 Nov. No. 143, 1924, p. 4 (range), p. 7 (diag.; Cotiza, Galipan, and Silla 

 de Caracas, Venezuela), p. 8 (meas.). — Hellmayr, Arch. f. Naturg., 

 vol. 90, A, 1924, p. 158 (Galipan and Silla de Caracas, Venezuela; range; 

 crit). 



DescHption. — Pileum with two broad lateral stripes of black, reach- 

 ing the nape, and inclosing a median stripe of dull citrine, becoming 

 slightly more yellowish (ecru olive) on the vertex; narrow supercili- 

 aries dull citrine, more buffy anteriorly; postocular streak and small 

 spot before the eyes black ; auricular and suborbital regions dull cit- 

 rine to butfy citrine ; upper parts, and wings and tail externally, dark 

 citrine: under parts pale yellow (primrose yellow), more or less 

 washed or shaded with buffy on the breast, and with dull citrine on 

 the flanks : under wing-coverts dull yellowish ; " iris brown ; bill black 

 above, pale horn-color below; feet dusky yellow" (Carriker). 



Measurements. — Male: Wing, 58-G3 (average, 60.5); tail, 51-56 

 (54.5); bill, 9.5-10.5 (10); tarsus, 19.5-21 (20.5). Female: Wing, 

 54-61 (57) ; tail, 51-56 (52.5) ; bill, 9.5-10.5 (10) ; tarsus, 19-21 (20). 



Range. — Subtropical Zone, Andes of Merida and Coast Range, 

 Venezuela. 



Rcmarlis. — I am inclined to keep this form specifically distinct from 

 B. tristriatus. although its close relationship thereto may be ad- 

 mitted. Its reduced auricular spot (even smaller than in B. tristriatus 

 meJanotis). inconspicuous superciliaries, narrowed black lateral 

 crown-stripes, and lack of a decided vertical spot give it a different 

 look from B. tristriatus in any of its several forms. It shows no trace 

 of punctate markings below, as do the connecting races of B. tristri- 

 atus., neither does it intergrade therewith through individual vari- 

 ation. 



