[Ornithology • 2025] Myzomela babarensis • A Taxonomic Revision of Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei (S. Müller 1843), including the Description of A New Species from Babar Island, Indonesia

Myzomela babarensis

 Berryman, Spencer, Sharma & Eaton, 2025

 

Babar Myzomela  |  DOI: 10.25226/bboc.v145i1.2025.a4 

Researchgate.net/publication/389592997

  facebook.com/JamesEATON

Abstract

Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei (S. Müller 1843) is a small honeyeater distributed in two subspecies across three island groups in Maluku Province, Indonesia: M. b. boiei on the Banda Islands, and c.350 km to the south, M. b. annabellae on the Tanimbar Islands and Babar. We compare data from 28 museum specimens and 21 sound recordings, and report the results of 152 playback experiments, to investigate the taxonomy of these three populations. Compared to M. b. annabellae, M. b. boiei has a c.10% longer wing, bill and tarsus, more extensive black breast-band, duskier posterior underparts, and a highly divergent song; in playback experiments, M. b. boiei proved unresponsive to recordings of M. b. annabellae. However, the songs of M. b. annabellae on the Tanimbars and Babar are also highly divergent, with populations on both islands unresponsive to the song of the other. Birds on Babar are also slightly larger than annabellae on the Tanimbars (with a c.10% longer tail) and may have more scarlet on the back. We consider the vocal differences between the three populations to be highly indicative of reproductive isolation and recommend they be treated as three independent species under a modern interpretation of the Biological Species Concept. Because no nomen is available for the Babar population, we name it as a new species.

Distribution of Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei taxa in relation to the Banda Sea Islands mentioned in the text.

Photographs of the three populations of Myzomela boiei s. s.
(a) M. b. boiei, Banda Neira, 8 December 2023 (Andrew J. Spencer);
(b) M. b. annabellae, Tanimbar (Yamdena), 11 November 2024 (James A. Eaton); and
(c) Myzomela babarensis M. b. annabellae, Babar, 6 November 2024 (James A. Eaton)

Myzomela babarensis M. b. annabellae, Babar,

6 November 2024

  photo by James A. Eaton 

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Myzomela babarensis sp. nov.

Diagnosis.—Compared to M. boiei sensu stricto, male M. babarensis differs in having a much narrower black breast-band that is confined to the upper breast (vs. extending onto the lower breast in M. b. boiei; Figs. 3–4). The lower underparts (especially the vent and flanks) of M. boiei are dusky, but consistently much paler cream-white in the nine specimens of M. babarensis examined. In plumage, females of the two populations appear to be identical. M. boiei s. s. is larger in wing, bill and tarsus length (Table 1) than M. babarensis. Morphologically, M. babarensis is similar to M. annabellae (restricted here to the Tanimbar Islands) and only very subtly identifiable. Male M. babarensis has a larger wing, bill and tail with no overlap (Table 1 and Fig. 2), and the available specimens (n = 5 for M. annabellae) appear to consistently have more extensive scarlet-red on the upperparts, especially on the uppertail-coverts. Female plumages appear inseparable. All three species differ radically in song (Table 2, Fig. 5 and accompanying descriptions) and playback experiments show them to be unresponsive to one another's song. ...

 

Etymology.—The species is named babarensis for the island of Babar, to which it is endemic. We propose the English name ‘Babar Myzomela’ (and ‘Tanimbar Myzomela’ for M. annabellae s. s.).

 

Alex J. Berryman, Andrew J. Spencer, Puja Sharma and James A. Eaton. 2025. A Taxonomic Revision of Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei (S. Müller 1843), including the Description of A New Species from Babar Island, Indonesia.  Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. 145(1); 35-48. DOI: 10.25226/bboc.v145i1.2025.a4 [5 March 2025] 

  Researchgate.net/publication/389592997_A_taxonomic_revision_of_Myzomela_boiei_including_a_new_species_from_Babar_Island_Indonesia

  facebook.com/JamesBirdtourAsia/posts/10161945310539279

 

[PaleoOrnithology • 2025] DNA and Spores from Coprolites reveal that Colourful Truffle-like Fungi endemic to New Zealand were consumed by extinct Moa Megalapteryx didinus (Dinornithiformes)

 

upland moa Megalapteryx didinus (Owen, 1883)

(c) Gallacea scleroderma*, 

(d) Gallacea sp. ‘Nelson Lakes’*, 

(e) Rossbeevera pachydermis*, 

(f) Russula macrocystidiata*,

in Boast, Wood, Cooper, Bolstridge, Perry et Wilmshurst, 2025. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440  

 

Abstract

Mycovores (animals that consume fungi) are important for fungal spore dispersal, including ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi symbiotic with forest-forming trees. As such, fungi and their symbionts may be impacted by mycovore extinction. New Zealand (NZ) has a diversity of unusual, colourful, endemic sequestrate (truffle-like) fungi, most of which are ECM. As NZ lacks native land mammals (except bats), and sequestrate fungi are typically drab and mammal-dispersed, NZ’s sequestrate fungi are hypothesized to be adapted for bird dispersal. However, there is little direct evidence for this hypothesis, as 41% of NZ’s native land bird species became extinct since initial human settlement in the thirteenth century. Here, we report ancient DNA and spores from the inside of two coprolites of NZ’s extinct, endemic upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) that reveal consumption and likely dispersal of ECM fungi, including at least one colourful sequestrate species. Contemporary data from NZ show that birds rarely consume fungi and that the introduced mammals preferentially consume exotic fungi. NZ’s endemic sequestrate fungi could therefore be dispersal limited compared with fungi that co-evolved with mammalian dispersers. NZ’s fungal communities may thus be undergoing a gradual species turnover following avian mycovore extinction and the establishment of mammalian mycovores, potentially affecting forest resilience and facilitating invasion by exotic tree taxa.

Keywords: evolutionary anachronism, moa, New Zealand, extinction, ancient DNA, mycophagy

(a) Upland moa skeleton, (b) HC coprolite X17/11/33,
and (c–h) examples of fungi identified from aDNA (* denotes taxa with congruent spore evidence):
(c) Gallacea scleroderma*, (d) Gallacea sp. ‘Nelson Lakes’*, 
(e) Rossbeevera pachydermis*, (f) Russula macrocystidiata*,
(g) Cortinarius sp. ‘Blyth Track’, (h) Cortinarius violaceovolvatus.

Photo credits: (a) Wikimedia Commons, (b) Alexander P. Boast, (c–h) Noah Siegel.

Alexander P. Boast, Jamie R. Wood, Jerry Cooper, Nic Bolstridge, George L. W. Perry and Janet M. Wilmshurst. 2025. DNA and Spores from Coprolites reveal that Colourful Truffle-like Fungi endemic to New Zealand were consumed by extinct Moa (Dinornithiformes). Biol. Lett. 2120; 240440. DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440  

[PaleoOrnithology • 2024] The Moa Footprints from the Pliocene – early Pleistocene of Kyeburn, Otago, New Zealand

 

An artist’s impression of the moa which created the Kyeburn footprints.

in Fleury, Burns, Richards, Norton, Read, Wesley, Fordyce et Wilcken, 2024. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2023.2264789 

 Artwork by Paulina Barry.

 

ABSTRACT

In March, 2019, a trackway of seven footprints was found at a riverbank outcrop of Maniototo Conglomerate Formation in the Kyeburn River, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand. In this study, we describe this first known occurrence of moa (Dinornithiformes) footprints to be found and recovered in Te Waipounamu/South Island. Footprints of the trackway were ∼46 mm deep, 272–300 mm wide and 260–294 mm in length. An associated separate footprint was 448 mm wide and 285 mm long. Cosmogenic nuclide dating of adjacent overlying beds from the same formation establishes a mean minimum age of burial age for the tracks of 3.57 Ma (+1.62/−1.18 Ma) with a mode of 2.9 Ma, which we interpret to be Late Pliocene, with a conservative age range of Pliocene to Early Pleistocene. The trackway maker is identified as a moa from the Emeidae family, probably from the genus Pachyornis, with a mean mass of 84.61 kg that was travelling at a speed of 2.61 kmh−1. The single adjacent footprint was made by an individual from the family Dinornithidae, most likely from the genus Dinornis with an estimated mass of 158 kg. These moa footprints represent the second earliest fossil record of moa.

KEYWORDS: Trackway, moa footprint‌, Dinornithiformes, cosmogenic nuclide dating, Pliocene‌, Maniototo Conglomerate

 

Kane Fleury, Emma Burns, Marcus D. Richards, Kevin Norton, Stephen Read, Rachel Wesley, R. Ewan Fordyce and Klaus Wilcken. 2024. The Moa Footprints from the Pliocene – early Pleistocene of Kyeburn, Otago, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 54(5); 620-642. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2023.2264789 

Special issue: Fossil vertebrates from Southern Zealandia: taonga of international significance. Guest Editors: Carolina Loch, Daniel Thomas, Jeffrey Robinson

www.linkedin.com/posts/pamela-naidoo-ameglio_feathery-moas-fossilised-footprints-ancient-activity-7132122722146385920-rgTz

[PaleoOrnithology • 2024] Agapornis longipes • A New Species of Lovebird (Aves: Psittaculidae: Agapornis) from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa)

Agapornis longipes

Pavia, Braga, Delfino, Kgasi, Manegold, Steininger, Zipfel & Val, 2024

  

DOI: 10.1016/j.geobios.2024.05.006

Artwork by Martina Cadin

Abstract

A new parrot species of the genus Agapornis (Aves, Psittaculidae), namely Agapornis longipes nov. sp., is described from the Plio-Pleistocene of Kromdraai, Cooper’s Cave, and Swartkrans in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. The new species is represented by all major wing bones (humerus, ulna, and carpometacarpus) and by the tarsometatarsus, together with a fragmentary mandible and coracoid. The size of the bones indicates a small species of Agapornis with an elongated tarsometatarsus, proportionately the longest of all known species of Agapornis. This lengthening of the legs might be related to feeding adaptation of the extinct species, as the longer legs may have favored this ground feeder in the high and dense grassland characteristic of the Cradle of Humankind during the Plio-Pleistocene transition and the Early Pleistocene.

Keywords: Birds, Parrot, Osteology, Paleoecology, Cooper’s Cave, Kromdraai, Swartkrans

 Systematic paleontology

Aves Linnaeus, 1758

Psittaciformes Wagler, 1830

Psittaculidae Vigors, 1825

Agapornithinae Salvin, 1882

Genus Agapornis Selby, 1836

 Agapornis longipes nov. sp. from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Cradle of Humankind.
A-C. Holotype, right tarsometatarsus KWPoc 70e from Kromdraai in dorsal (A), plantar (B), and proximal (C) views. D. Paratype, left tarsometatarsus SKX 18624 from Swartkrans in proximal view. E, F. Paratype, right humerus CD 16165b from Cooper’s Cave in caudal (E) and cranial (F) views. G. Paratype, left ulna KWPoc 244d from Kromdraai in ventral view. H. Paratype, left carpometacarpus KWPoc 167c from Kromdraai in ventral view. I. Paratype, left coracoid CD 16332 from Cooper’s Cave in dorsal view. J. Paratype, left humerus KW 7951 from Kromdraai in caudal view. K. Rostrum mandibulae CD 16381e from Cooper’s Cave in dorsal view.

Abbreviation: tcd, tuberculum craniodistalis. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Agapornis longipes nov. sp.

Derivation of the name: The new species shows the longest tarsometatarsus of all extant and extinct species of Agapornis in proportion to the humerus, as shown by the ratio of humerus to tarsometatarsus lengths.

Holotype: KWPoc 70e, complete right tarsometatarsus.

 Life reconstruction of an air of Agapornis longipes nov. sp. feeding on the ground in the Early Pleistocene of the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa) during the dry season

(Artwork by Martina Cadin).

 

Marco Pavia, José Braga, Massimo Delfino, Lazarus Kgasi, Albrecht Manegold, Christine Steininger, Bernhard Zipfel and Aurore Val. 2024. A New Species of Lovebird (Aves, Psittaculidae, Agapornis) from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa). Geobios. In Press. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2024.05.006

  

[Ornithology • 2024] Oceanites barrosi • Resolving the Conflictive Phylogenetic Relationships of Oceanites (Procellariiformes: Oceanitidae) with the Description of A New Species

Oceanites barrosi 

 Norambuena, Barros, Jaramillo, Medrano, Gaskin, King, Baird & Hernádez, 2024

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.1 

facebook.com/AlvarosAdventures  

 

Abstract

The family Oceanitidae, formerly considered a subfamily of Hydrobatidae, includes all the small storm-petrels of the southern hemisphere. The ancestor-descendent relationships and evolutionary history of one of its genera, Oceanites, have been partially studied, yielding contrasting results. We revised the phylogenetic relationships of this group using Bayesian inference (BI) based on new sequence data of the mitochondrial gene Cytb and linear morphological measurements of all species and five subspecies-level taxa in Oceanites, including a new taxon from the Chilean Andes. Our BI results show that the Oceanites genus is monophyletic and composed of four well-supported clades (posterior probability > 0.95): (1) chilensis; (2) exasperatus; (3) gracilis, pincoyae, and barrosi sp. nov.; and (4) oceanicus and galapagoensis. The species O. chilensis is a basal clade within Oceanites. According to our time-calibrated tree, the split between Oceanites and the other genera in Family Oceanitidae is estimated to be ~35.9 Mya, and the oldest divergence within Oceanites (the split between O. chilensis and other Oceanites) was dated to the early Miocene, around c. 21.3 Mya. The most probable geographic origin of Oceanites is the Southern Ocean. The morphological data suggest continuous size variation between Oceanites taxa, ranging from smallest in gracilis to largest in exasperatus. Based on our phylogenetic hypothesis, and morphological analyses, we suggest elevating to species status the taxa galapagoensis, chilensis, and exasperatus, and we describe a new taxon barrosi sp. nov., thus recognizing a total of seven species within the genus Oceanites.

Aves, evolution, storm-petrels, systematics, taxonomy

Phylogenetic hypothesis of the genus Oceanites based on BeAST from Cytb gene. Numbers on nodes are posterior probability values from the Bayesian analysis. outgroups are not shown. Inset illustration Oceanites pincoyae from Handbook of the Birds of the World.

Type specimen of Oceanites barrosi sp. nov., specimen no. LACM 25182, Natural History Museum of los Angeles County uSA, preserved as a study skin: adult female, collected by Rafael Barros Valenzuela in río Blanco, los Andes province, Valparaíso region, Chile (latitude 32°54’32.06”S, longitude 70°18’15.30”W, elevation 1,402 m), on 7 April 1924.

Live individual of Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. captured by Rodrigo Barros in río Blanco, Los Andes province, Valparaíso region, Chile (latitude 32°54’S, longitude 70°18’W, elevation 1,400 m), on 9 January 2022.

Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. 

Andean Storm-Petrel

golondrina de mar andina (Chilean name)

 

Diagnosis: Typical Oceanites structure with (1) small size (Table S3) with short rounded wings, notably short inner wing, and broadly rounded “hand” compared to Hydrobatidae. Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. wing is, on average, larger than in O. chilensis but smaller than in O. pincoyae. At the same time, its tail and tarsus measurements are smaller than in O. chilensis and larger than in O. pincoyae (Table S3). Noticeably smaller than O. exasperatus and somewhat smaller than O. oceanicus mainly in wing and tail length (Table S3). (2) restricted white tips on the belly, never as extensive as in O. galapagoensis, O. gracilis, or O. pincoyae, but typically not dark-bellied like O. chilensis, O. oceanites, and O. exasperatus. (3) Bold double pale line on underwing due to pale tipping on...

Etymology: The chosen scientific name barrosi refers to Rafael Barros Valenzuela (1890–1972) a Chilean ornithologist who first recorded specimens of Oceanites around the Andean mountains of Aconcagua, Chile. rafael Barros was one of the most prolific ornithologists in Chile during the 20th century, and we name this species in recognition of his work. The holotype specimen was collected by him (lACM 25182) on 7 April 1924.

English name: We propose the name Andean Storm-Petrel due to its unique breeding area. Although a nest has not yet been found, the Andean Storm-Petrel is seen going in and out of high elevation areas during the breeding season, and many recently fledged juveniles have been found in elevations above the city of Santiago (Barros 2017).

Wing views of live individuals of Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. captured by rodrigo Barros in río Blanco, los Andes province, Valparaíso region, Chile (latitude 32°54’S, longitude 70°18’W, elevation 1,400 m), on 9 January 2022. The number in the photo identifies the captured specimen.

Heraldo V. Norambuena, Rodrigo Barros, Álvaro Jaramillo, Fernando Medrano, Chris Gaskin, Tania King, Karen Baird, Cristián E. Hernádez. 2024. Resolving the Conflictive Phylogenetic Relationships of Oceanites (Oceanitidae: Procellariiformes) with the Description of A New Species.  Zootaxa. 5486(4); 451-475. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.1

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[PaleoOrnithology • 2024] Pakudyptes hakataramea • A New tiny fossil Penguin from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and the Morphofunctional Transition of the Penguin Wing

Pakudyptes hakataramea 

 Ando, Robinson, Loch, Nakahara, Hayashi, Richards & Fordyce, 2024

DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283 

   x.com/SHOWJI0329

 

ABSTRACT

The Late Oligocene is a period of high penguin diversity, following major changes in the marine environment at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary and prior to the emergence of crown penguins in the Miocene. Historically, a large morphological gap existed between the most crownward Platydyptes among the Oligocene penguins from New Zealand and the Early Miocene stem penguins such as Palaeospheniscus from South America. Here we describe a new species that contributes to filling this gap. Pakudyptes hakataramea gen. et sp. nov. is the earliest tiny penguin, overlapping in size with the little penguin Eudyptula minor. Its distinctive combination of a well-developed proximal end of the humerus and an archaic elbow joint provides clues to the evolution of penguin wings. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that penguin wings evolved rapidly from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene, together with the acquisition of morphofunctional and hydrodynamical characteristics that enable the excellent swimming ability of modern penguins. As an indicator of aquatic adaptation, bone microanatomy shows a comparable structure to that of Eudyptula. The appearance of the smallest body size and the evolution of modern wings may have led to the ecological diversity of modern penguins, which confirms the importance of Zealandia in penguin evolution.

KEYWORDS: Smallest fossil penguin, Latest Oligocene, New Zealand, phylogeny, evolution of wing

 Pakudyptes hakataramea gen. et sp. nov.

  

 

 

Tatsuro Ando, Jeffrey Robinson, Carolina Loch, Tamon Nakahara, Shoji Hayashi, Marcus D. Richards and Robert Ewan Fordyce. 2024. A New tiny fossil Penguin from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and the Morphofunctional Transition of the Penguin Wing. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283  

[Special issue: Fossil vertebrates from southern Zealandia]

  x.com/SHOWJI0329/status/1818706038839033891

[Ornithology • 2024] Caprimulgus ritae • A New Species of Nightjar (Caprimulgiformes: Caprimulgidae) from Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, Wallacea

Caprimulgus ritae

King, Sangster, Trainor, Irestedt, Prawiradilaga & Ericson, 2024

 

Timor Nightjar  |  Cabak Timor  ||  DOI: 10.1111/ibi.13340  

Researchgate.net/publication/381669747

photo by James Eaton

Abstract

The nightjars of the Caprimulgus macrurus complex are distributed from Pakistan to Australia and comprise six morphologically similar but vocally distinct species. Fieldwork on Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, has resulted in the discovery of a seventh species in the complex, which we describe as a new species. This species has previously been confused with Caprimulgus macrurus, Caprimulgus celebensis and Caprimulgus manillensis but it differs from these and all other species in the complex by at least 13 vocal characters. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified all recordings in the complex to species. Caprimulgus ritae is known from five adult museum specimens, which are the smallest in the complex and which differ from other species in the complex in several morphological characters. A molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. ritae is sister to C. meesi from Flores and Sumba, and that these species together are sister to C. macrurus. C. ritae is a tropical forest specialist occurring from sea level to at least 1500 m (probably mostly below 1000 m). Lowland and montane forests on Timor are threatened. Wetar is one of the least developed islands in Indonesia, and retains >95% natural vegetation, dominated by Eucalyptus woodlands, with tropical forests in river gorges and slopes in upland areas. Pressure for development is accelerating throughout the range of C. ritae, and a detailed assessment of its conservation status is urgently needed.

 

Male Caprimulgus ritae, Wetar, 13 October 2014 (James Eaton).
This bird was sound recorded (XC204788 and XC204789).

Caprimulgus ritae sp. nov.

Timor Nightjar | Cabak Timor

 

Ben F. King, George Sangster, Colin R. Trainor, Martin Irestedt, Dewi M. Prawiradilaga and Per G. P. Ericson. 2024. A New Species of Nightjar (Caprimulgus) from Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, Wallacea. Ibis. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.13340 

 Researchgate.net/publication/381669747_A_new_species_of_Caprimulgus_from_Timor_Sunda_Islands_Wallacea

 

[Ornithology • 2024] Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae • A New Antshrike (Aves: Thamnophilidae) endemic to the Caatinga and the Role of Climate Oscillations and Drainage Shift in Shaping Cryptic Diversity of Neotropical Seasonal Dry Forests

 male [back] and female [front] individuals of Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae

Cerqueira, Gonçalves, Quaresma, Silva, Pichorim & Aleixo, 2024

DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12672

 Illustration by Eduardo Brettas

[Pattern 1] Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae

Cerqueira, Gonçalves, Quaresma, Silva, Pichorim & Aleixo, 2024

 

[Pattern 2] Sakesphoroides cristatus (Wied, 1831)

DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12672

 

Abstract

The Caatinga is the largest patch of Seasonal Dry Tropical Forest in the Neotropics, located in northeastern Brazil and characterized mainly by deciduous vegetation and extreme rainfall seasonality. It has historically been treated as a biologically impoverished domain, but recent studies uncovered new diversification patterns and several new taxa of frogs, mammals, insects, and fishes. Here we employed a dense sampling regime to evaluate whether the São Francisco River (SFR) would have promoted genetic diversification and fixed phenotypic differences and how Quaternary climatic oscillations shaped distribution and population sizes in a Caatinga endemic species, the Silvery-cheeked Antshrike (Sakesphoroides cristatus). We adopted an integrative approach using multilocus genetic, plumage, vocal data, and ecological niche modelling (ENM) to characterize evolutionary units and niche suitability in past scenarios. We recovered strong genetic structure across the SFR that was congruent with plumage and vocal variation, revealing a yet undescribed species named herein as Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae, sp. nov.. The splitting time estimated between the newly described species and S. cristatus is consistent with the establishment of the modern course of SFR, with a more recent course shift apparently promoting the secondary contact between the two species in the Raso da Catarina region. After their split, both species experienced increases in population sizes and range sizes at similar times during the Last Glacial Maximum. We expect other Caatinga avian endemic lineages to show similar patterns of genetic differentiation across the SFR that were enhanced by Quaternary climatic oscillations.

Geographic distribution of diagnostic plumage characters in Sakesphoroides cristatus females. Green and blue circles represent diagnostic patterns numbered 1 and 2, respectively, recovered from plumage analyses using study skins and digital photographs (see text for details). The dark-blue line represents the modern course of the São Francisco River (SFR), with the red dashed lines representing the estimated position of abandoned meanders of a Late Pleistocene paleocourse of the SFR. The colour gradient represents altitudinal variation.

Credit photos: Rocílio Ribeiro Rocha (pattern 1) and Oberdan Nunes (pattern 2).

...

Once we defined S. cristatus as the applicable name for clade 2 and no taxon name is available for clade 1 birds, herein we describe the latter group as a new species:

 male [back] and female [front] individuals of Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae 

Illustration by Eduardo Brettas, from Cerqueira et al., 2024)

Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae, sp. nov. Cerqueira, Gonçalves, Quaresma, Silva, Pichorim & Aleixo

Northern Silvery-cheeked Antshrike (English).

Choca-do-nordeste-de-cauda-barrada (Portuguese).

 Diagnosis: 

Morphology: The new species is assigned to the genus Sakesphoroides based on its morphological diagnostic characters as described by Grantsau (2010), and its sister relationship to Sakesphoroides cristatus.

Males of Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae are similar in plumage to Sakesphoroides cristatus, but females differ from the former by distinct crown, back, and tail colours, (Table 1). Sakesphoroides niedeguidonae has an overall lighter (Amber) colour rather than Chestnut as S. cristatus. The back is olive brown in S. niedeguidonae, whereas that of S. cristatus is Cinnamon-Brown. The overall tail colour in S. niedeguidonae is darker than in S. cristatus, with the most conspicuous difference being the black and white barring, replaced in S. cristatus only by discreet dull brown and rufous bars and complete absence of white barring (Figure S1).

Voice: The loudsong of S. niedeguidonae is slightly similar in general pattern to that of S. cristatus, but differs conspicuously by the shape of the first notes. While the loudsong of S. niedeguidonae has initial notes with an ascending–descending pattern of frequency modulation, looking visually like an inverted ‘U’ letter on sound spectrograms, that of S. cristatus has initial ascending notes reaching quickly a high frequency (~2300 Hz) and then descending to the maximum amplitude and continuing to descend further to a lower frequency (~580 Hz), which confers to it a sigmoid shape on spectrograms (Figure 2). Additionally, the loudsong of S. niedeguidonae differs from that of S. cristatus by a significantly greater number of notes, longer overall duration, and slower pace in total song (see Table 3). Female recordings present noticeable higher pitched songs than males (ML579640291; Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca).

Etymology: 

It is our pleasure to name this species in honour of Niède Guidon, a Brazilian archaeologist who in 1970's explored the largest and oldest concentration of prehistoric sites in the Americas. Niède's efforts helped to create the Serra da Capivara National Park in Piauí state, where her research found evidence of artefacts that have provoked a re-evaluation of the traditional theories about human settlement in the Americas. Moreover, she is a symbol of power and persistence in preserving the Caatinga environment not just for archaeological purposes but also considering biodiversity and local human communities, highlighting the Caatinga as a singular place in the world, which has inspired us every day.

The English name (Northern Silvery-cheeked Antshrike) is a reference to its range in the Caatinga domain and the sister taxon S. cristatus (now called Southern Silvery-cheeked Antshrike). The Portuguese name (Choca-do-nordeste-de-cauda-barrada) highlights the main plumage feature in females distinguishing the new species from S. cristatus (Choca-do-nordeste in Portuguese). Both names maintain in its composition the name used in S. cristatus for an easy reference to their close phylogenetic relationship.

Pablo Cerqueira, Gabriela R. Gonçalves, Tânia F. Quaresma, Marcelo Silva, Mauro Pichorim and Alexandre Aleixo. 2024. A New Antshrike (Aves: Thamnophilidae) endemic to the Caatinga and the Role of Climate Oscillations and Drainage Shift in Shaping Cryptic Diversity of Neotropical Seasonal Dry Forests. Zoologica Scripta. DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12672

Nova espécie de ave da Caatinga é descoberta e tem origem em variações históricas do São Francisco

https://abori.com.br/ambiente/aves-da-caatinga-mudancas-climaticas-nova-especie/

[Ornithology • 2024] Museum Specimens, Photographs, and Sightings of White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae)

White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae  Thonglongya, 1968

in Bond & Berryman, 2024.

DOI: 10.25226/bboc.v144i2.2024.a9

Abstract

White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae was described in 1968 and there have been no confirmed sightings since the 1970s. It is known only from Bueng Boraphet in central Thailand. Here, we compile the most comprehensive summary of museum specimens, photographic records (including two previously unpublished images) and sightings for this poorly known species. Specimens are held mainly in the Thailand Natural History Museum near Bangkok, with others at the Natural History Museum (Tring), American Museum of Natural History (New York) and National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC). At least three other mounts exist, all in Thailand, some of which may be composites from captive birds collected in the early 1970s. Photographs unearthed at Tring, and in unpublished reports, show birds that differ from the four previously known images and may represent individuals that are now museum specimens. With no confirmed sightings for more than 40 years, despite reasonable search effort (especially increasing citizen science data), it is very likely that White-eyed River Martin is now extinct.

Photographs of the White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae caught in November 1968 published by Tobias (2000) and deposited in the Macaulay Library, Cornell University; the bird is presumably an adult given the presence of tail-streamers and is believed to be THNHM B-07481 (H. E. McClure, © BirdLife International)

  

Photographs of White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae taken in the field in February 1968; it is now NHMUK 1968.68.1; the prints were sent by K. Thonglongya to NHMUK in April 1968 and Fig. 17 was also reproduced for an article in the newspaper Khaosod on 27 May 1992 about the species' discovery (Photographer unknown)

(left). Immature male White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae, paratype USNM 533542, collected on 28 January 1968, alongside the removed left central rectrix from USNM 510428 (adult, unknown sex; see Fig. 7) (© C. Milensky)

 

Alexander L. Bond and Alex J. Berryman. 2024. Museum Specimens, Photographs, and Sightings of White-eyed River Martin Pseudochelidon sirintarae. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. 144(2):162-182. DOI: 10.25226/bboc.v144i2.2024.a9