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Sittidae (1 Viewer)

thyoloalethe said:
In Latin, the letter c is pronounced as the letter k, and never as the letter s, so these two names are not homonyms. However, given that most English speakers (and likely speakers of various other languages) don't know much Latin and would pronounce these the same, a first reviser would be wise to choose Poecilositta over Cyanositta.
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That indeed was the pronunciation rule when I did Latin over 60 years ago, but I understand the current rule is that the pronunciation of 'c' in Latin is now more Italianate; when it precedes 'e' or 'i', it is a soft 'ch' as in 'church' sound (and as in 'Ciao'). I expect that there are many on Bird Forum with greater scholarly expertise who can confirm what the current convention is in greater detail!
MJB
 
MJB said:
That indeed was the pronunciation rule when I did Latin over 60 years ago, but I understand the current rule is that the pronunciation of 'c' in Latin is now more Italianate; when it precedes 'e' or 'i', it is a soft 'ch' as in 'church' sound (and as in 'Ciao'). I expect that there are many on Bird Forum with greater scholarly expertise who can confirm what the current convention is in greater detail!
MJB
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So far as I know, it is accepted that, in ancient Latin, the pronunciation of 'c' was always hard (like 'k'), as thyoloalethe suggested above.
But there are other, 'modern' systems of pronunciations. What you describe sounds like 'church Latin' (which may arguably be the only currently spoken version of Latin): 'c' is pronounced like an English 'ch' when it precedes 'e', 'i', but also 'y' (which is pronounced like a Latin 'i'), as well as 'æ' and 'œ' (which are both pronounced like a long Latin 'e' -- i.e., like the 'a' of 'Latin' in English).

(FWIW, pronunciation plays no role in homonymy between generic names under the current Code -- as soon as two generic names differ by one letter, they are not homonyms, even if they are pronounced identically. But fully I agree that, if facing a choice between two valid names that sound clearly different and two valid names that sound the same, it would make sense to choose the first option. ;))
 
Mike Earp said:
The relevant material is attached here: View attachment 729184.
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Thanks Mike.

Just to be complete: the name also appears on 4 other pages in the work, viz.:
  • p. 87: "44. Poliositta azurea expectata" in a list of birds collected in "Zone B. 10,000 feet - 6,000 feet";
  • p. 89: "Poliositta azurea expectata" in a list of three species occuring in this zone, not peculiar to Sumatra but found elsewhere only in the Malay Peninsula;
  • p. 94: "64. Poliositta a. expectata" in a list of birds collected in "Zone D. 4,000 feet - 3,000 feet";
  • p. 257: "156. Poliositta azurea expectata (Hartert)", in a "Table showing distribution and altitute of birds collected according to stations".
'Poecilositta' is not used anywhere.
 
l_raty said:
(FWIW, pronunciation plays no role in homonymy between generic names under the current Code -- as soon as two generic names differ by one letter, they are not homonyms, even if they are pronounced identically. But fully I agree that, if facing a choice between two valid names that sound clearly different and two valid names that sound the same, it would make sense to choose the first option. ;))
Click to expand...

Thanks, Laurent, as always!:t:
MJB
 
Daniel Philippe said:
Päckert M., Bader-Blukott M., Künzelmann B., Sun Y.-H., Hsu Y.-C., Kehlmaier C., Albrecht F., Illera J.C. & Martens J., 2020. A revised phylogeny of nuthatches (Aves, Passeriformes, Sitta) reveals insight in intra- and interspecific diversification patterns in the Palearctic. Vertebr. Zool. 70 (2): 241-262.

There
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IOC Updates Diary June 14

Revise the sequence of Sittidae based on Päckert et al. (2020).
 
Levy, H. E., and J. A. Cox. 2020. Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island? Avian Conservation and Ecology 15(2):15.
https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01646-150215

Abstract:

We conducted playback-response experiments to assess whether the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) population found on Grand Bahama Island might be a distinct and critically endangered species. In one experiment, Brown-headed Nuthatch individuals in north Florida were presented with calls from: (1) a male conspecific in North Carolina; (2) a male recorded on Grand Bahama Island; (3) a male Pygmy Nuthatch (S. pygmae), a western congener; and (4) a male House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), which occurs in a different avian family (Troglodytidae). Vocalizations were broadcast at 20 locations, and detection and the proximity with which individuals approached the speaker were quantified. Nuthatches were detected at 0.72 (± 0.02; mean ± standard deviation) of trials where conspecific vocalizations were used, but were only detected half as frequently 0.27–0.30 (± 0.04) when Bahama Nuthatch and Pygmy Nuthatch vocalizations were used. Detections were least likely when House Wren vocalizations were used (0.15 ± 0.11). Nuthatches also approached the playback device more closely when North Carolina vocalizations were used. In a second playback assessment conducted in the Bahamas, males were three times more likely to respond when calls of a Bahama male were used versus calls of males in Florida. We also analyzed spectrograms of the two-syllable call notes produced by Bahama (N = 1) and continental (N = 10) males. The Bahama call has a higher peak frequency (6.1 vs. 4.8 kHz ± 0.6) and a slurred descent that extends over a broader frequency range (4.5 vs. 2.0 kHz). Results suggest that vocalizations of the Bahama population have diverged significantly and may affect interactions if the populations were to come into contact. Other genetic and morphological assessments also point to significant differences and support recognition of the Bahama Nuthatch as an independent species that may now be extinct.
 
Askelson, K. K., Spellman, G. M., & Irwin, D. (2023). Genomic divergence and introgression between cryptic species of a widespread North American songbird. Molecular Ecology, 00, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17169

Analysis of genomic variation among related populations can sometimes reveal distinct species that were previously undescribed due to similar morphological appearances, and close examination of such cases can provide much insight regarding speciation. Genomic data can also reveal the role of reticulate evolution in differentiation and speciation. White-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) are widely distributed North American songbirds that are currently classified as a single species but have been suspected to represent a case of cryptic speciation. Previous genetic analyses suggested four divergent groups, but it was unclear whether these represented multiple reproductively isolated species. Using extensive genomic sampling of over 350 white-breasted nuthatches from across North America and a new chromosome-level reference genome, we asked if white-breasted nuthatches are comprised of multiple species and whether introgression has occurred between divergent populations. Genomic variation of over 300,000 loci revealed four highly differentiated populations (Pacific, n = 45; Eastern, n = 23; Rocky Mountains North, n = 138; and Rocky Mountains South, n = 150) with geographic ranges that are adjacent. We observed a moderate degree of admixture between Rocky Mountain populations but only a small number of hybrids between the Rockies and the Eastern population. The rarity of hybrids together with high levels of differentiation between populations is supportive of populations having some level of reproductive isolation. Between populations, we show evidence for introgression from a divergent ghost lineage of white-breasted nuthatches into the Rocky Mountains South population, which is otherwise closely related to Rocky Mountains North. We conclude that white-breasted nuthatches are best considered at least three species and that ghost lineage introgression has contributed to differentiation between the two Rocky Mountain populations. White-breasted nuthatches provide a dramatic case of morphological similarity despite high genomic differentiation, and the varying levels of reproductive isolation among the four groups provide an example of the speciation continuum.
 
anyone willing to share this paper? Presumably the three species correspond to Eastern, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Coastal?
 
Jacana said:
Askelson, K. K., Spellman, G. M., & Irwin, D. (2023). Genomic divergence and introgression between cryptic species of a widespread North American songbird. Molecular Ecology, 00, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17169

Analysis of genomic variation among related populations can sometimes reveal distinct species that were previously undescribed due to similar morphological appearances, and close examination of such cases can provide much insight regarding speciation. Genomic data can also reveal the role of reticulate evolution in differentiation and speciation. White-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) are widely distributed North American songbirds that are currently classified as a single species but have been suspected to represent a case of cryptic speciation. Previous genetic analyses suggested four divergent groups, but it was unclear whether these represented multiple reproductively isolated species. Using extensive genomic sampling of over 350 white-breasted nuthatches from across North America and a new chromosome-level reference genome, we asked if white-breasted nuthatches are comprised of multiple species and whether introgression has occurred between divergent populations. Genomic variation of over 300,000 loci revealed four highly differentiated populations (Pacific, n = 45; Eastern, n = 23; Rocky Mountains North, n = 138; and Rocky Mountains South, n = 150) with geographic ranges that are adjacent. We observed a moderate degree of admixture between Rocky Mountain populations but only a small number of hybrids between the Rockies and the Eastern population. The rarity of hybrids together with high levels of differentiation between populations is supportive of populations having some level of reproductive isolation. Between populations, we show evidence for introgression from a divergent ghost lineage of white-breasted nuthatches into the Rocky Mountains South population, which is otherwise closely related to Rocky Mountains North. We conclude that white-breasted nuthatches are best considered at least three species and that ghost lineage introgression has contributed to differentiation between the two Rocky Mountain populations. White-breasted nuthatches provide a dramatic case of morphological similarity despite high genomic differentiation, and the varying levels of reproductive isolation among the four groups provide an example of the speciation continuum.
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I want it too
 
mastodon.online

Darren Irwin (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Here's a free link to a full readable version of this paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/TTDY6IS7PIINYQE2P52N?target=10.1111/mec.17169 Published today: "Genomic divergence and introgression between cryptic species of a widespread North American songbird."...
mastodon.online mastodon.online
 
blackburnian2000 said:
mastodon.online

Darren Irwin (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Here's a free link to a full readable version of this paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/TTDY6IS7PIINYQE2P52N?target=10.1111/mec.17169 Published today: "Genomic divergence and introgression between cryptic species of a widespread North American songbird."...
mastodon.online mastodon.online
Click to expand...
Thanks. But that doesn't help me know which subspecies should be elevated to species.
 

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