Falling through the cracks: a family-group name for a clade of hawks and eagles (Accipitridae) including Morphnus Dumont, 1816, Harpia Vieillot, 1816, Harpyopsis Salvadori, 1875 and Macheiramphus Bonaparte, 1850

The family-group names based on the genera Morphnus, Harpia, Harpyopsis and Macheiramphus, recently identified as forming a clade at the rank of subfamily within the Accipitridae, are discussed in detail, and the problems associated with the use of Bock’s History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names (1994) in assessing their availability and relative priority are examined. The recent use of ‘Harpiinae’ can only be justified by the application of Article 40.2 (ICZN, 1999: 46), which would see Thrasaetinae Blyth, 1850, replaced by Harpiinae Verheyen, 1959 (1850).