The history and taxonomic status of the Hispaniolan Crossbill Loxia megaplaga

Abstract

In October 1916, W. L. Abbott collected a pair of hitherto unknown and unexpected crossbills near El Rio, in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic, on the West Indian island of Hispaniola. These were described by Riley (1916) as Loxia megaplaga (holotype USNM 249515), and were compared in plumage and morphology primarily with the palearctic L. bifasciata, then generally considered a species distinct from the nearctic L. leucoptera, the White-winged Crossbill (but see Hartert 1910). In his comments, Riley asserted that megaplaga “can be told at a glance” from leucoptera by its heavier, less attenuated bill, a difference further discussed and illustrated by Richmond (1916)...