Scytalopus speluncae was described from a specimen taken at São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Ménétriés described it as having the throat and the central breast evidently whitish, but since then this name has been rather surprisingly attributed to the uniformly slate gray Mouse-colored Tapaculo of the eastern coastal Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Contrary to previous findings, our analysis of the holotype, two new specimens from the type locality (topotypes) and original description of Scytalopus speluncae indicates that this name must be applied to the pale gray form with rufous-barred thighs that is found in Minas Gerais. This species is apparently very common in São João del Rei. This paper redescribes Scytalopus speluncae, correcting this name application, and describing, as a new species, populations from the Serra do Mar and vicinity, previously misidentified as S. speluncae.

The Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus (Pallas, 1769) is a threatened seabird widely distributed in the northern Pacific Ocean with its largest breeding sites on the Senkaku Islands and Torishima Island, Japan, which are separated by over 1700 km. A recent taxonomic revision based on morphological, behavioral, and DNA sequence evidence has revealed that this species consists of two cryptic species: a smaller species which breeds mainly in the Senkaku Islands, and a larger species which breeds mainly on Torishima Island. However, it has remained unclear to which of these species the scientific name Phoebastria albatrus applies, because the type specimens are lost. Here a neotype is designated to resolve this taxonomic issue. From now on, the scientific name Phoebastria albatrus should be applied only to the smaller species breeding on the Senkaku Islands. The name of the larger species is more problematic, as the types of each synonym of P. albatrus must be traced, found, and examined.

The type locality and the identity of the holotype of the southeast Brazilian endemic Scytalopus speluncae (Ménétriés,1835) have attracted considerable recent scrutiny and controversy, based in large part on doubts expressed in theornithological literature concerning some of the same author’s other Brazilian type localities. Most recently, Maurício etal. (2010) recommended substituting a new type locality, the Serra dos Órgãos, for S. speluncae, based almost entirely onan analysis of photographs of the holotype. Separately, some of the same authors (Whitney et al. 2010) described a newspecies, Scytalopus petrophilus, including, as a paratype, a specimen from Ménétriés’ original type locality. Our ownknowledge of S. speluncae is based on a thorough examination of the holotype and a comprehensive review of all availablehistorical data concerning its collection. Because the holotype itself is partially damaged and the identification of somesoutheast Brazilian Scytalopus is unquestionably difficult using plumage alone (due to intraspecific variation), and furtherbecause all authors agree that only one species of Scytalopus occurs in the environs of São João del Rei, correctlyidentifying the type locality is of overriding importance to ensure the correct nomenclature of the entire species-group ofwhich S. speluncae is the senior synonym. All contemporaneous data (three expedition diaries, the original specimen label,and the original description) clearly demonstrate that Ménétriés collected S. speluncae close to a well-known limestonecave in the region of São João del Rei, in the state of Minas Gerais, on 7 June 1824. Even the bird’s name, speluncae(pertaining to “the cave”) witnesses the validity of these facts. The available historical evidence was dismissed byMaurício et al. (2010) in clear contravention of the recommendations of Article 76A.1 of the ICZN (1999), which governssuch cases. It is also relevant that all available first-hand information concerning the holotype’s morphology, as well asthe evidence from its topotypes, supports the proposition that S. speluncae was collected where Ménétriés claimed. Wefurther demonstrate that: (1) S. speluncae is the name applicable to the paler gray species with buff-fringed blackishfeathers on the flanks, thighs, vent and upper tail coverts; (2) S. petrophilus must be a junior synonym of S. speluncae; (3)the only historical argument presented by Maurício et al. (2010) contra the type locality is based on an unrepresentativetranslation; and (4) their morphological analysis uses incomplete, contradictory or misleading data, and focuses onsearching for specimens similar to the paler gray S. speluncae within the variation of the dark gray S. notorius, in order tojustify emending the type locality. Crucially, none of these specimens of S. notorius is apparently similar to the holotype and topotypes of S. speluncae in respect to all of the latter’s distinguishing characters.

The systematics of large white-headed gulls of the Larus fuscus-argentatus complex has long been problematic (e.g. Bruch 1853, 1855; Dresser 1873; Hartert 1921; Dwight 1925; Štegman 1934; Geyr von Schweppenburg 1938; Voous 1959) and is still in flux (e.g. Wink et al. 1994; Klein & Buchheim 1997; Panov & Monzikov 1999; de Knijff et al. 2001; Yésou 2002; Crochet et al. 2002, 2003; Liebers et al. 2004; Gay et al. 2007; Sternkopf et al. 2010). The earliest name for any Asian form is Larus cachinnans, proposed by Pallas (1811b: 318). This name is now generally applied to large white-headed gulls breeding in the Caspian region, but, as we show below, there is nothing in Pallas's (1811b) description of the taxon that unambiguously links it with southern Palearctic forms, even less with any particular one of them (see below for the type series).

Individual variation of the size and plumage colour in three type specimens of Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler, Locustella ochotensis is examined, the dates and localities of collecting are defined more exactly and the lectotype is designated. Examination of allpreserved specimens, collected by Middendorff, and of the original description show that he misidentified adult birds of L. ochotensis as L. certhiola. This is imorotant for understanding of the diagnosis of L. ochotensis based on characters of young birds in juvenile plumage.