Proposal (576) to South
American Classification Committee
Add Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera to the Main List as an
introduced species
SACC Background: There is no
background for this species in the SACC.
History
of Lophura nycthemera and other introduced Phasianidae in
Argentina:
The Silver Pheasant L. nycthemera,
native of southeast Asia, was first introduced in Argentina between 1907 and
1911 at Puerto Radal on the island of Isla Victoria in Lago Nahuel Huapi,
southern Neuquén province (disputed by Río Negro province), central-western
Argentina (Navas 2002). The island, in the Patagonian Lake District, is
forested within the Patagonian Forest ecosystem, covers an area of 31 km²,
and is protected within the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, which covers some
705,000 ha. Lophura nycthemera was
one of four pheasant species introduced on the island in the same period (along
with Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus,
Lady Amherst’s Pheasant C. amherstiae,
and Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomalanos)
but was the only species to prosper (Navas 2002), and is the only naturalized
and extant pheasant species left on the island (Christie et al. 2004, pers. obs.). The island is steeped in history, from
the large population of indigenous Puelche and Poya indians, who were first
encountered by Captain Juan Fernandez in 1620, to the rather bizarre
installation of a huge zoological park by millionaire Aarón Anchorena in 1907
with the aim of transforming the island into a “model farm”. Anchorena was denounced, and jurisdiction of
the island passed into the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture, before
becoming part of the national park in 1934; its present status. The Indian
population was expelled in the early 19th century, but the legacy of the zoo
and park project includes many introduced species on the island today including
Silver Pheasant, sequoias brought from California, giant tuyas, and at least
1000 deer of three species (Fallow Deer Dama
dama, Red Deer, and Axis Deer Axis
axis).
Status of Silver Pheasant at Isla Victoria
By
1962, the pheasant population on Victoria Island was defined as being 2,000
individuals (Anziano 1962). By 2002, only the Silver Pheasant was considered to
have extant populations and could be found in many parts of the forest (Navas
2002), being described as “common” and recorded during visits in all three 10 x
10 km sq. survey quadrants covering the island (Christie et al. 2004). Isla Victoria has an altitudinal range of 760-1030 m,
where L. nycthemera is found in small
groups or alone in forest with sparse undergrowth and in clearings (Christie et al. 2004). Various authors of
Patagonian guides accept the existence of the L. nycthemera population at Isla Victoria (Christie et al. 1994, Couve & Vidal 2003),
and the species has been included on Argentine lists (e.g. Mazar Barnett &
Pearman 2001).
Conclusion: All data point towards a healthy population of
this Asian introduction on a protected island in the Patagonian forest. A
spread in distribution seems unlikely because of strict control by the
Administración de Parques Nacionales. It is important to note that the Silver
Pheasant has survived for at least 102 years on Isla Victoria, where fully
naturalized.
Evidence: Little direct tangible evidence is available. A
2011 Congress poster (pdf available) includes a photograph of a male taken at
Isla Victoria (Martín et al. 2011).
Two rectrices from two different males collected at Isla Victoria, are to be
deposited at MACN. Additionally, a video of a female on Isla Victoria can be
seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MuQFzND3KY
Recommendation: We recommend a YES vote to add the species
directly onto the Main list. A No vote would add it to the Hypothetical list.
Literature cited:
ANZIANO, A.F. 1962. Acción
de los animales sobre la flora. In: Dimitri, M.J. La flora andino-patagónica.
Anales de Parques Nacionales 9: 107-112.
CHRISTIE, M.I.,
RAMILO, E.J. & M.D. BETTINELLI. 2004. Aves del Noroeste Patagónico: Atlas y
Guía. Soc. Nat. Andino Pat., Bariloche. L.O.L.A., Buenos Aires.
COUVE, E. & C.
VIDAL. 2003. Aves de Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego y Peninsula
Antartica, Isla Malvinas y Georgia del Sur. Editorial Fantastico Sur Birding
Ltda.
MARTIN, V.L., AMICO, G.C. & M.A. NUÑEZ. 2011. Frugivory of silver
pheasant in the Patagonian forests. 2nd World Conference on Biological
Invasions and Ecosystem Functioning, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
MAZAR BARNETT, J. &
M. PEARMAN. 2001. Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Argentina. Lynx
Editions, Barcelona.
NAVAS, J.R. 2002. Las aves exóticas introducidas y naturalizadas en la Argentina. Rev. Mus. Arg. Cienc.
Nat. (new series) 4(2): 191-202.
Mark Pearman
and Nacho Areta, March 2013
________________________________________________________________________________________
Comments
from Remsen: “YES.
Meets our criteria for listing as an established introduced
species. By the way, someone should get
some DNA of this population just to see if and how much they have diverged in a
century.”
Comments
from Stiles:
“YES. For a long-established population of a distinctive species, photographic
evidence is surely sufficient to establish this record.”
Comments
from Pacheco: “YES.
After decades, the evidence of its establishment is enough.”
Comments
from Nores:
“YES. The species is established in Victoria Island (31 km²), Neuquén Province,
Argentina.”