Purple-throated Sunbird (Leptocoma sperata) - HBW 13, p. 267

Taxonomy: Certhia sperata Linnaeus, 1766, Manila, Luzon, Philippines.
Genus often subsumed in Nectarinia. Genus names Leptocoma and Chalcostetha described simultaneously, on consecutive pages of same publication; former has been selected by First Reviser as having precedence (see page 48); type of genus Leptocoma is hasseltii (= brasiliana). Present species possibly forms a superspecies with L. sericea. Geographical plumage variation considerable; races form two groups, “nominate group” (containing Philippine races) and “brasiliana group” (containing other races), and has been suggested that these may be better treated as two distinct species. Races mecynorhyncha and oenopa perhaps not tenable, and could perhaps be merged with brasiliana. Nominate race intergrades and hybridizes with henkei (hybrids described as race theresae) and with juliae (hybrids described as race davaoensis); an apparently stable hybrid population exists on Sibuyan (NC Philippines). Other proposed races in Philippines are manueli (from Karlagan, in Polillo Is), synonymized with nominate; minima (Mati Municipality, in Davao Province of Mindanao) synonymized with trochilus; and whiteheadi (N Luzon), subsumed in henkei. Elsewhere, proposed races phayrei (Myanmar), oenopa (Nias I, off W Sumatra) and hypolampis (South Pagai I, off W Sumatra) all included in brasiliana; also, hasseltii (Java) is a synonym of brasiliana. Birds of this species recorded recently in N Vietnam probably belong to race emmae. Described form marinduquensis is based on misidentification of female of Aethopyga siparaja (of race magnifica). Nine subspecies recognized.