Type specimens in the bird collections of the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn

摘要

Primary types play an important role as name-bearing specimens (ICZN, 1999) in the context of correctly addressing the whole spectrum of biodiversity. Names and thus taxonomy are the first step to identify and arrange the diversity of species in appropriate order. The importance of type specimens requires that the information about types should be made globally available. This was the main objective to present this checklist of syntypes, holo-types, lectotypes and paratypes (including paralectotypes)deposited in the skin collections of the ZFMK. A previous list of types in the ZFMK (Rheinwald & van den Elzen 1984) can be seen as a first step. The list is outdated, incomplete and written in German only. Moreover, with the progress of the digital catalogue of bird type specimens in German research collections under GIBF-D-Vertebra-ta (van den Elzen et al. 2005) and the increase of networking between ornithological collections, several type series were found to be spread over different collections and this valuable information on whereabouts of type specimens is added here. Also the new ICZN with its stricter rules was applied to the former type list and helpful suggestions from colleagues improved the revised version. The new catalogue thus offersthe state of knowledge of today. It makes no claim to be complete or free of errors, but it is thought to be a starting point for further discussions, additions or amendments and other suggestions towards a global register of scientific bird names and the collections holding bird types.