Systematic notes on Asian birds. 6. A re-examination of the application of the name Oriolus steerii Sharpe, 1877

There has been some confusion over whether the name Oriolus steerii Sharpe, 1877, should be attached to the population of Basilan or the population of Negros of the Philippine oriole. Two separate descriptions appeared (Sharpe, 1877 a, b) and differed. A decision on which was the prior description was taken by Dickinson et al. (1991) and a fresh review of the facts shows that they were incorrect in selecting Basilan as the type locality of the nominate form. That decision was in contradiction to the approach taken by Greenway in Mayr & Greenway (1962). As there, the name must be assigned to the population of Negros. As a result, the population of Basilan must be called O. s. basilanicus Ogilvie- Grant, 1896, or if a broader species-concept is preferred O. xanthonotus basilanicus Ogilvie-Grant, 1896. The name nigrostriatus Bourns & Worcester, 1894, returns to the synonymy of nominate steerii. The specimen in Tring is designated as the lectotype of steerii Sharpe, 1877, because the Michigan specimen, from Isabela de Basilan, is not representative of the nominate population of steerii.