Proposal (817) to South American
Classification Committee
Treat Epinecrophylla fjeldsaai and E. pyrrhonota as subspecies of E. haematonota
Effect
on SACC: The status of two taxa, E. fjeldsaai and E.
pyrrhonota, would be reduced to subspecies of E. haematonota.
Background:
Taxa in the Epinecrophylla haematonota
complex are widespread in western Amazonia, occurring both north and south of
the Amazon. Until recently, they were placed in a single species, Myrmotherula haematonota, which, besides
the nominate form, included M. h.
pyrrhonota, M. h. spodionota, M. h. sororia, and M. h. amazonica (Peters1951). Thereafter, M. spodionota, including sororia,
was treated as a distinct species by multiple authors (e.g., Parker and Remsen
1987). In 1999, on the basis of distinctions in coloration and apparent
parapatry with existing taxa, Myrmotherula
fjeldsaai was added to the complex at the species level (Krabbe et al. 1999) despite unavailability
of a sufficient number of recordings of M.
fjeldsaai to permit comparative vocal analysis. In 2006, the complex was
assigned to a new genus, Epinecrophylla,
along with related dead-leaf foragers (Isler et al 2006). In 2013, plumage
differences combined with vocal differentiation and genetic diversity led to
the recommendation that five species be recognized in the complex: E. haematonota, E. pyrrhonota, E. amazonica,
E. spodionota, and the newly
described E. dentei (Whitney et al.
2013). The DNA-based phylogenetic analysis also led to the recommendation that fjeldsaai be considered a subspecies of E. haematonota. Upon receipt of a
proposal following these recommendations and amendments thereof (SACC 589A,
589B, 590) the Committee came to the conclusion that E. haematonota, E. pyrrhonota,
E. amazonica, and E. spodionota should be considered
specifically distinct, that dentei
should be considered a subspecies of E.
amazonica, and that E. fjeldsaai
should be maintained as a species until a more complete vocal analysis was
undertaken.
Newly
published information: Vocal recordings currently available for E. pyrrhonota (n = 58, E. fjeldsaai (n =42), and E. haematonota (n = 62)
were analyzed by Isler and Whitney (2018) to evaluate taxonomic positions. The
inventory included recordings from or near the type locality of all three taxa.
Previously published morphological and phylogenetic data were reviewed. More
recent specimen data included likely introgressed examples of E. fjeldsaai with its neighbors. The
vocal analysis revealed that vocalizations of the three taxa were essentially
identical. Plumage differences among them are minimal, but appear to be
diagnostic among females.
Recommendation:
Given the absence of vocal distinctions, we recommend a "YES" vote on
removing pyrrhonota and fjeldsaai from the SACC list of
thamnophilid species, maintaining them as subspecies of Epinecrophylla haematonota based on plumage distinctions.
Literature
cited:
Isler,
M. L., D. R. Lacerda, P. R. Isler, S. J. Hackett, K. V. Rosenberg, and R. T.
Brumfield. 2006. Epinecrophylla, a
new genus of antwrens (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae). Proceedings of the
Biological Society of Washington 119:522–527.
Isler,
M. L., and B. M. Whitney. 2018. Reevaluation
of the taxonomic positions of members of the Epinecrophylla haematonota (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae) antwren complex including E. fjeldsaai based on vocalizations.
Wilson Journal of Ornithology
130(4):908–914. Note that the online version of this paper corrects an error
made in the editorial process.
Krabbe,
N., M. L. Isler, P. R. Isler, B. M. Whitney, J. Alvarez A., and P. J.
Greenfield. 1999. A new species in the Myrmotherula
haematonota superspecies (Aves; Thamnophilidae) from the western Amazonian
lowlands of Ecuador and Peru. Wilson
Bulletin 111: 157-165.
Parker,
T. A., III, and J. V. Remsen, Jr. 1987. Fifty-two Amazonian bird species new to
Bolivia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 107:94-107.
Peters,
J. L. 1951. Check-list of birds of
the world, vol. 7. Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 318
pp.
Whitney,
B. M., M. L. Isler, G. A. Bravo, N. Aristizábal, F. Schunck, L. F. Silveira,
and V. de Q. Piacentini. 2013. A new species of Epinecrophylla antwren from the Aripuanã-Machado interfluvium in
central Amazonian Brazil with revision of the “stipple-throated antwren”
complex. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliot,
A., Sargatal, J., & Christie, D.A. (Eds), Handbook of the Birds of the World. Special Volume: New Species and Global Index. Lynx Edicions,
Barcelona, Spain, pp. 263–267.
Mort
Isler and Bret Whitney, March 2019
Comments from Remsen: “YES. Comparisons of vocal differences and
similarities require this change under the Isler-Whitney formula for species
limits in Thamnophilidae, a formula I strongly support.”
Comments
from Zimmer: “YES”. These
two taxa always seemed a bit tenuous as distinct species, and now that improved
vocal samples and thorough analysis reveal an absence of diagnostic vocal
characters, I think that we have to lump both of them under the haematonota umbrella. Plumage distinctions, primarily between
females of the three taxa involved, support continued recognition of both fjeldsaai and pyrrhonota, but at the rank of subspecies of haematonota.”
Comments
from Areta:
“YES. It is good to finally see a reanalysis of this complex based on more data
and shedding light on species-level limits.”
Comments from Claramunt: “YES. Vocalizations are
identical and mtDNA is not reciprocally monophyletic. Specimens with intermediate plumage are
mentioned (although not described or discussed in sufficient detail).”
Comments from Stiles: “YES to consider fjeldsaai and pyrrhonota
as sspp. of E. haematonota based on vocal and genetic information.”
Comments
from Pacheco:
“YES. In view of the
absence of vocal diagnoses among these taxa, this arrangement is appropriate.”
Comments
from Jaramillo:
“YES – hard to argue with vocalizations ‘essentially identical’.”