The correct name for the Siberian Black-billed Capercaillie is Tetrao urogalloides (Aves: Tetraonidae)

Abstract

The Black-billed Capercaillie is a widespread species of north-eastern Asia, being almost endemic to Russia, but also occurring in northern Mongolia and northernmost China (Potapov 1985, 1987; De Juana 1994; Madge & McGowan 2002; Storch 2007). Two different names are in current use for this species in the scientific literature: Tetrao urogalloides Middendorff, 1853 (e.g. Buturlin 1901: 66, 1935: 185; Kirikov 1952: 103; Hjort 1970: 307; Walters 1980: 34; Potapov 1985: 361, 1987: 186; Haffer 1989; Klaus et al. 1989; Andreev 1991; Grant & Grant 1997: 7773; Klaus & Andreev 2001; Meserve 2005: 77; Klement'ev 2011) and Tetrao parvirostris Bonaparte, 1856 (e.g. Dresser 1903: 697; Hartert 1917: 292, 1921: 1884; Štegman 1926: 229; Peters 1934: 26; Vaurie 1965: 260; Stepanân 1990: 136; Inskipp et al. 1996: 27; Madge & McGowan 2002: 373; Dickinson 2003: 46; Zheng 2005: 47; Koblik et al. 2006: 106; Brazil 2010: 30). This situation is untenable. Thus, I restudied the nomenclatural history of this species to determine which name is correct, with the following results.