Corresponding author: Justin J. F. J. Jansen (
Academic editor: Peter Bartsch
The French collector René Maugé (1757-1802) conducted some bird-collecting excursions when anchored in Kupang Bay, West-Timor during his time as part of the French government-funded expedition commanded by Nicolas Baudin (1754-1803). The expedition docked at Tenerife (Spanish Canary Islands), Mauritius, Australia, Timor and South Africa between 1800 and 1804. Maugé made the first collections in Timor. Specimens became dispersed after their arrival with the store-ship
The Governement supported expedition bound to Australia led by commander Nicolas Thomas Baudin (1754–1803), left Le Havre, France on 19 October 1800. The French Navy 20-gun Serpente-class corvette,
The designated bird-collectors and ‘scientists’ appointed by the Muséum Nationale d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France (hereafter
The Baudin expedition was the first expedition with a focus on biological exploration in this part of West-Timor and the nearby island Semau. A few birds were collected by Caspar George Carl Reinwardt (1773–1854) in April 1821. Then followed by Salomon Müller in 1828–1829 (
To the disappointment of the surviving crew no Governmental interest was shown after arrival. The deserters, as the crew-members who had fall-outs with Baudin (who died at Mauritius on 16 September 1803), and when back in France they described him as an incompetent and authoritarian leader. François Péron (1775–1810) and Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (1779–1841) took on the official expedition narrative, and – for example - Baudin was written out of large parts as landmarks were renamed (
There are no original lists available of the birds collected in Timor, nor are there any publications on Timor, on the 200+ specimens supposedly collected in Timor (
René Maugé was born in 1757 in Cély-en-Bière, in the Seine-et-Marne department near Paris, France. Nothing is known of his life prior to May 1794. In that month, he started work at the
Little is known how far the expedition ventured into the interior of West-Timor during its visit between 22 August and 13 November 1801, but apparently not far (as only daytrips are noted). However, it is known that Maugé lived in a house in Kupang for a while with fellow naturalists including François Péron (
Maugé is often acknowledged as collector on the pedestal undersides, if not mentioned in the descriptive texts by Lesson and Vieillot. Baudin (
Charles Alexandre Lesueur was born on 1 January 1778, in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France. At the age of 22, he left France with
Stanislaus Levillain (1774–1801) was appointed by Jussieu as a zoologist to the expedition. Levillain also joined Baudin and Maugé on the Caribbean voyage between 1796 and 1798. He actively collected birds when sailing and landing with
In ascertaining or clarifying the collecting locality, I considered the available diaries kept by
With the available information on the pedestal underside (see below), the printed (glued on the pedestal) substitute label (added well after the 1850’s), registration books and documents available in Le Havre, it was established that all birds from Timor were only collected during the first visit (most are documented with An XI = arrival with
Taken in account article 76a (ICZN 1999) we find unfortunately, no original notes (e.g. labels), no collector’s notes, no personal communications. For the original description see chapter available information from the specimen. So, we only have the itinerary and the expedition’s narrative (
All birds collected by Maugé arrived on
Specimens returned as skin and were subsequently mounted for the museum showcases. No original tags or collecting lists are known to have been brought back to France (Jansen 2015).
Péron did not only change names given to the various places on the Australian coast but also altered later in works the collectors of the specific specimens (
The specimen information available, part communicated by Péron (and possibly also by Lesueur) personally to the taxidermists, is situated on the pedestal underside, registration books and documents (for example those kept in Le Havre 79054–79127, see
Two of the scientists who survived the expedition, François Péron and Charles Alexandre Lesueur, provided extra information to senior taxidermist, Louis Dufresne, and other
Therefore, I designated in this paper–and therefore correcting this fraud–all specimens as collected by Maugé, despite the mention in the original type-description of Lesueur and Péron as its collectors.
The 52 scientific names published between 1807 and 1855 were executed by Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1), George Cuvier (3), René Primevère Lesson (10), Coenraad Jacob Temminck (10), Louis Pierre Vieillot (25), Johann Georg Wagler (2) and William John Swainson (1). All of them visited the
In 1829, the second collection from Timor arrived in Europe, collected by Salomon Müller employed by the Rijksmuseum of Natuurlijke Historie Leiden (now Naturalis). Müller, collected 178 species (196 specimens) in West-Timor and 14 species (16 specimens) at Semau. The number of type-species is 46 (
Descriptions prior to 1829 are exclusively birds collected on the Baudin expedition. Lesson and Vieillot worked only in the
Today, the largest batch of the surviving 395 specimens, from the original 1,055 specimens from the Baudin expedition, is housed in the
List of bird specimens (skins) collected by René Maugé in Timor. Names of abbreviations:
Species | Lat. Name | Reg. Number Present specimens | Lost | Not found |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asian Blue Quail |
|
Brogniart / Thouin, Rouen | ||
Sunda Collared Dove |
|
|||
Barred Dove |
|
|
||
Brown-capped Emerald Dove |
|
|||
Timor Green Pigeon |
|
|
||
Rose-crowned Fruit-dove |
|
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Savanna Nightjar |
|
|||
Glossy Swiftlet |
|
|
||
Pallid Cuckoo |
|
|||
Oriental Cuckoo |
|
Unknown (Lesson 1830: 147) | ||
Dusky Moorhen |
|
Washington (sent in 1935 now absent) | ||
Black Bittern |
|
|||
Cattle Egret |
|
|||
Great White Egret |
|
Unknown (Cuvier |
||
Great Frigatebird |
|
|||
Pacific Golden Plover |
|
|||
Masked Lapwing |
|
Rouen | ||
Comb-crested Jacana |
|
Rouen | ||
Grey-tailed Tattler |
|
|||
Red-backed Buttonquail |
|
|||
Australian Pratincole |
|
|||
Southern Boobook |
|
|||
Brown Goshawk |
|
|||
Rainbow Bee-eater |
|
Brogniart / Thouin, Moulins, |
||
Common Kingfisher |
|
|||
Collared Kingfisher |
|
Blois | ||
Sacred Kingfisher |
|
|||
Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher |
|
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Spotted Kestrel |
|
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Marigold Lorikeet |
|
Muséum-Aquarium de Nancy 2013.0.69 | ||
Jonquil Parrot |
|
|||
Red-cheeked Parrot |
|
Naturalis | ||
Flame-eared Honeyeater |
|
|||
Helmeted Friarbird |
|
|
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Streaky-breasted Honeyeater |
|
|||
Timor Figbird |
|
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Naturalis | |
Timor Oriole |
|
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Golden Whistler |
|
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Wallacean Cuckooshrike |
|
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White-shouldered Triller |
|
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Black-faced Woodswallow |
|
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White-breasted Woodswallow |
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Timor Fantail |
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Wallacean Drongo |
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Broad-billed Flycatcher |
|
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Red-chested Flowerpecker |
|
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Ashy-bellied White-eye |
|
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Common Myna |
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Unknown (illustrated by Lesueur) | ||
Short-tailed Starling |
|
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Orange-sided Thrush |
|
Rouen | ||
Timor Blue Flycatcher |
|
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Pied Bush Chat |
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White-bellied Bush Chat |
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Flame-breasted Sunbird |
|
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Black-faced |
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Scaly-breasted |
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Five-coloured |
|
Naturalis | ||
Pale-headed |
|
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Timor Sparrow |
|
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Timor Zebra Finch |
|
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Tricolored Parrotfinch |
|
The following list summarizes the information on specimens collected in Timor during the Baudin expedition (1800–1804). The taxonomical order and current names are those according to del Hoyo and Collar (2014, 2016).
The catalogue is structured as follows:
The type locality has been fixed for all available type specimens to date to the exact collecting locality (article 76 in ICZM 1999).
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal Underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Many individuals were examined by Temminck, including birds from Batavia (Java), Moluccas, Timor, Manilla, Luçon and from China. The Timorese specimens were catalogued around 1854 (
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
In the original description Temminck mentioned that it was described from a single specimen. This specimen was catalogued around 1854 (
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE (lost): The information available for the
Two individuals in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal label:
SYNTYPE (lost): The information available for the
Temminck examined more than 30 birds in various collections, including specimens from the island of Timor as well as Java, as stated in the original description. The
PARALECTOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
PARALECTOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Bonaparte explicitly stated that he described this taxon from specimens in the British Museum and Paris. The
measurements of 122 and 126 mm (average of both wings) were taken from both
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Vieillot does not mention the number of birds examined, but his description mentions both adults and immature birds, so clearly more birds were involved. He also does not mention which collection were used, but as most of the birds he examined for his contributions to the
‘type’ (lost): Relevant line in the type description: Coucou tenuirostre;
In the registration book drafted around 1854 (
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Lesson did not mention the number of specimens examined from the Baudin expedition. The
‘type’ (lost). At least one specimen was collected near Kupang Bay, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, West-Timor (
Cuvier did not mention how many specimens he examined for his description. He did mention, however, that it originated from Timor with Lesueur as the source. It could not be traced in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Lesson did not mention how many individuals he examined. Reference is made by Lesson that the type locality was Timor and the collector Maugé. The
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside: (Sticker)
Vieillot referred to a mounted bird. The
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside: (
Lesson referred to (a) bird(s) from the Marianas (Quoy and Gaimard), an additional one from the Marianas and the bird from the Baudin expedition. Lesson aged the Maugé bird incorrectly as a young bird. The
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE (lost): near Kupang Bay, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, West-Timor (
Temminck stated that the Baudin expedition brought back three specimens which entered the
The three SYNTYPES are the same as
Vieillot refers to the Baudin expedition and an Australian orgin, but not to the number of specimens examined. Vieillot referred to Temminck (1815) for the birds he examined. The three syntypes form part of the type series of
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Vieillot did not mention the number of specimens he examined. The
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Temminck did not mention the number of specimens or in which collection he examined them. The
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
The type description lists the wrong collecting location (Saint-Domingue and Porto-Rico) and it refers to two specimens. In the catalogue, notes can be found under the old registration number
Both specimens are the only ‘old’ Australian-Timor specimens in the
The SYNTYPE is the same as
Temminck mentioned that the species was present in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Described by Lesson as originating from ‘Nouvelle-Hollande’ or Australia, with Péron as its origin; the number of specimens is not cited. They were the only two specimens in the
The two SYNTYPES are the same as
Cuvier mentioned that specimens were present in both the
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Lesson provided no details on where and how many specimens were examined. Given that he only studied birds in the
HOLOTYPE:
Tag:
The type description by Vieillot provides no details as to how many specimens were involved and from which collection they were examined. This specimen was the sole representative of the species up to the early 1900’s (
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE: NMS_Z 1929.186.12, adult, near Kupang Bay, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, West-Timor (
The information available for the
Vieillot referred neither to the number of available specimens nor to the collection where he examined the species. Both
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Wagler did not mention how many specimens he examined, but clearly those in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
These two syntypes were the only two specimens in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Vieillot did not describe how many birds were involved and where they were examined. They were the only two specimens in the
The two SYNTYPES are the same as
Temminck did not mention the number of specimens he examined in the
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Swainson studied one bird in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Temminck only mentioned that the species could be found in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE (lost). The information available for the
Vieillot did not mention the number of specimens he examined or from which collection. These were the only specimens in the
The five SYNTYPES are the same as
Lesson did not mention the number he examined nor in which collection. The syntypes of
The five SYNTYPES are the same as
Lesson did not mention the number of specimens he examined or the collection. These were the only specimens in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
This species was only present in the
The two SYNTYPES are the same as
An unknown number of specimens was described by Vieillot. These specimens represent the only two in the registration book (
LECTOTYPE:
Tag: from O. Finsch hand (drafted around 1900):
PARALECTOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
PARALECTOTYPE:
Pedestal underside: Sticker:
PARALECTOTYPE: NMS_Z 1929.186.134, adult, near Kupang Bay, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, West-Timor (
The information available for the
No original label.
Vieillot only mentioned the type locality and not the number of specimens examined. The
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Tag:
SYNTYPE:
No original label.
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal label:
Lesson did not specify how many birds were examined, only that they originated from Timor and were brought back by Maugé. These were the only specimens in the collection until a specimen arrived from the Philippines via Maison Verreaux in 1837 (
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Vieillot did not specify how many specimens were in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE: NMS_Z 1819.20.1.67., adult male, near Kupang Bay, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, West-Timor (
The information available for the
Vieillot did not specify how many specimens were present in the
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Lesson did not say how many specimens he examined, only refering to a female collected by Maugé. This female was the sole specimen from the Baudin expedition that entered the registration book around 1854 (
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Vieillot did not specify how many specimens he had studied. This bird is the only specimen that had entered the registration books around 1854 (
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal label:
Vieillot did not describe how many specimens were available to him when preparing the species description. The two
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Lesson did not mention the number of specimens examined. The two
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Temminck did not mention the number of specimens he examined in the
The two SYNTYPES are the same as
Vieillot did not record how many specimens were available to him when examening the species. The two syntypes are the only specimens of this taxon that where registered (
‘type’ (lost). Specimen
A single bird was selected and described by Vieillot; a female. However, this bird is no longer present. Unknown if the bird, that ended up in
HOLOTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
A single bird was selected and described by Vieillot; a female. Three other Baudin expedition birds still exists (female,
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside: 1
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
Vieillot did not mention the number of specimens he examined or which collections he used to describe the species. The two specimens in the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE (lost): Specimen
SYNTYPE (lost). The information available for the
The original description does not indicate how many specimens were involved, only that the species was described from the
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside: (
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal label:
SYNTYPE (lost): The bird is documented in a
The number of specimens is not mentioned in the type-description nor is the collection mentioned. The two
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal label:
SYNTYPE (lost). The information available for the
The number of specimens is not mentioned by Vieillot (1807: 95), but the descriptions of a male, female and first year birds indicate multiple specimens. The three
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal label:
SYNTYPE (lost). The information available for the
SYNTYPE (lost). The information available for the
The number of specimens is not mentioned by Vieillot, but the descriptions of a male, female and first year birds indicate multiple specimens. The four Baudin expedition birds are the only specimens that had entered the registration books around 1854 (
SYNTYPE:
Pedestal underside:
The number of specimens was not specified by Vieillot, but he does mention a difference between the male and female. There was only one specimen noted in the inventory catalogue (
Although no lists or diary entries exist on the bird specimens collected in Timor, this paper aims to give final clarity regarding type-specimens and type localities. The Maugé collection provides us with a rare view of the biodiversity of the location where the city of Kupang now stands. It is the largest city and port on the island of Timor, with an estimated population of 350.000 in 2011.
During his visit to Timor in 1801, René Maugé collected at least 153 specimens (61 species) (table 1). To date, 117 specimens still exist and are held in five European collections; the
There is a possibility that additional specimens collected by Maugé on Timor may still be found and the author urges others to continue searching for such material.
My thanks a due to the curators, volunteers and all other people involved with the Baudin expedition: Patrick Boussès, Jérôme Fuchs, Anne Previato and Claire Voisin (