Markus Lagerqvist
Well-known member
- Leptosomus (discolor) intermedius - Anjouan Cuckoo-roller
- Leptosomus (discolor) gracilis - Grand Comoro Cuckoo-roller
This split makes me a bit confused.
In Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands Sinclair & Legrand split Grande Comore gracilis as Grand Comore Cuckoo-Roller (although accidentaly naming it Anjouan Cuckoo-Roller). They retain birds from Mohéli, Anjouan and Mayotte within Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller.
Rheindt noted after visiting the Comoros in 2008 that birds belonging to the race intermedius from Mohéli and Anjouan were intermediate between gracilis from Grand Comore and discolor from Mayotte and Madagascar and speculated that there might be a clinal variation from small discolor via intermediate intermedius to larger discolor.
In the now proposed Lynx/BirdLife split gracilis is split as Grand Comore Cuckoo-Roller and intermedius as Anjouan Cuckoo-Roller, while birds from Mohéli and Mayotte are classified as the same race as on Madagascar (discolor).
Treating birds on Mohéli, Mayotte and Madagascar as race discolor is followed by most authorities (HBW, IOC, Clements).
I don't know on what basis Rheindt lumped birds from Mohéli with intermedius from Anjouan in his trip notes, but just looking at the map it would make more biogeograhical sense. It seems strange that Mohéli birds should be Madagascar Cuckoo-Rollers, while birds on Anjouan are a distinct species. A Mohéli/Anjouan taxon would make more sence, like the paradise flycatchers from Mohéli and Anjouan which were just found to be genetically very closely related.
Unfortunately we didn't see Cuckoo-Roller on Anjouan on our recent trip, but the birds on Grande Comore were admittedly more distinct from Madagascar birds than the one we saw on Mohéli and Mayotte.
Anyone here that has any thoughts on this? Especially any information or thought on Mohéli vs. Anjouan birds.