Species Parvipsitta porphyrocephala (Dietrichsen, 1837)

Purple-crowned Lorikeet feeding on Iron Bark blossoms

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CAVS: 0259

Species Parvipsitta porphyrocephala (Dietrichsen, 1837)

Purple-crowned Lorikeet

Trichoglossus porphyrocephalus Dietrichsen, L. 1837. Extracts from the Minute-Book of the Linnean Society of London, March 20, 1832 - Description of a new species of parrakeet from New Zealand. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 17: 553 [553] [nom. nov. for Psittacus purpureus Dietrichsen, 1832, preoccupied; misspelt porphyreocephalus by Schlegel, H. 1874. Revue des Perroquets. Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle des Pays-Bas. Revue méthodique et critique des collections déposées dans cet établissement. Leiden : E.J. Brill livr. 11 in Vol. III 166 pp. [Sclater, P.L. 1893. List of the dates of delivery of the sheets of the "Proceedings" of the Zoological Society of London, from the commencement in 1830 to 1859 inclusive. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1893: 435–440] (115); also Wolters, H.E. 1975. Die Vogelarten der Erde. Eine systematische Liste mit Verbreitungsangaben sowie deutschen und englischen Namen. Hamburg : Paul Parey Lief. 1, 1–80 pp. (65)].
Psittacus purpureus Dietrichsen, L. 1832. Report of proceedings of meeting of Linnean Society of London, March 20, 1832 - Description of a new species of parrot from New Holland. Philosophical Magazine and Annals of Philosophy ns 11: 387 [387] [as purpurea, junior homonym of Psittacus purpureus P.L.S. Müller, 1776 (=Psittacula cyanocephala (Linnaeus, 1766), Psittaculini); holotype not traced—not cited in BMNH by Salvadori, T. 1891. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Psittaci, or Parrots. London : British Museum Vol. 20 xvii 658 pp. XVIII pls; Sharpe, R.B. 1906. Birds. pp. 79–515 in, The History of the Collections contained in the Natural History Departments of the British Museum. London : British Museum Vol. 2. (414–416); or Warren, R.L.M. 1966. Type-specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 1 Non-Passerines. London : British Museum ix 320 pp.].
Type data:
Holotype whereabouts unknown (ex Linnean Society of London coll.), South Australia (as New Holland).
Type locality references:
Mathews, G.M. 1917. The Birds of Australia. London : Witherby & Co. Vol. 6 pts 1-6 xix 516 pp. pls 275-324. [Date published June 1917: publication dated as 1916–1917] (cf. Mathews, G.M. 1912. A Reference-List to the Birds of Australia. Novitates Zoologicae 18: 171–455 [publication dated Jan. 1912, published 31 Jan.]; Mathews, G.M. 1927. Systema Avium Australasianarum. A systematic list of the birds of the Australasian region. London : British Ornithologists' Union Pt 1 iv 426 pp.).
Psittacula florentis Bourjot Saint-Hilaire, A. 1838. Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets, troisième volume (Supplémentaire), pour faire suite aux deux volumes de Levaillant, contenant les espèces laissées inédites par cet auteur ou récemment découvertes. Paris : F.G. Levrault xl 110 pp. 111 pls. [publication dated as 1837–1838] [pl. 84] [name unavailable, being a latinized substantive for a French vernacular name in an inconsistently binominal publication, see Mathews, G.M. 1913. A List of the Birds of Australia containing the names and synonyms connected with each genus, species, and subspecies of birds found in Australia, at present known to the author. London : Witherby xxvii 453 pp. (Appendix C), cf. ICZN Art. 11(c)].
Glossopsitta porphyrocephala whitlocki Mathews, G.M. 1912. A Reference-List to the Birds of Australia. Novitates Zoologicae 18: 171-455 [Date published 31 Jan 1912] [260].
Type data:
Holotype AMNH 618139 ♂ (G.M. Mathews' coll. no. 4704), Wilson's Inlet, WA
Comment: for identification of holotype, see Greenway, J.C. 1978. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Pt 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161: 1–306.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Condon, H.T. 1975. Checklist of the Birds of Australia. Part 1 Non-Passerines. Melbourne : Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union xx 311 pp. [184-185]

Generic Combinations

Parvipsitta porphyrocephala (Dietrichsen, 1837). —
Schweizer, M., Wright, T.F., Peñalba, J.V., Schirtzinger, E. & Joseph, L. 2015. Molecular phylogenetics suggests a New Guinean origin and frequent episodes of founder-event speciation in the nectarivorous lories and lorikeets (Aves: Psittaciformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 90: 34-48
Glossopsitta porphyrocephala (Dietrichsen, 1837).

Distribution

States

New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

S WA, north to mulga-eucalypt line (Shark Bay-Eucla) and W Great Victoria Desert (absent from head of Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor Plain)—and central S Australia from Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas north to Fowlers Bay and Gawler-S Flinders Ranges and east through Mt Lofty Range and Kangaroo Is. to Murray Mallee, the South-East of SA, and VIC as far as western footslopes of Victorian Alps and Gippsland and mallee lands of far SW NSW—erratically further north-east to Riverina (Albury-Junee), NSW, and accidental on S NSW coast (Nowra, Bega)—isolated records from SE QLD and Tweed Valley, NSW, are also of accidentals or aviary escapees.

Note that conversion of the original AFD map of states, drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones to IBRA and IMCRA regions may have produced errors. The new maps will be reviewed and corrected as updates occur. The maps may not indicate the entire distribution. See further details below.

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, SA, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Coolgardie (COO), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Central Ranges (CR), Dampierland (DL), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gawler (GAW), Gibson Desert (GD), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Murchison (MUR), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Nullarbor (NUL), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tanami (TAN), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Yalgoo (YAL)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

Australia
- New South Wales: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal
- South Australia: Murray-Darling basin, S Gulfs, SE coastal, W plateau
- Victoria
- Western Australia: SW coastal, W plateau

Ecological Descriptors

Arboreal, diurnal, frugivorous, gregarious, low open woodland, low woodland, mellivore, nomadic, open forest, volant, woodland.

Extra Ecological Information

Seasonal breeder, feeds on nectar, pollen, fruit-flesh and milky seeds and (accidentally?) insects and larvae in tree crowns in eucalypts in mallee woodlands and sclerophyll forests, flocks and roosts in communal groups, flies directly on swiftly beating wings, often breeds colonially, nests on bed of wood dust in tree hollows, incubation by female, both sexes rear whitish-downed, dark-billed chicks, wanders locally and regionally to seasonal food sources.