Chukar Partridge (1 Viewer)

Panayides, Guerrini & Barbanera 2011. Conservation genetics and management of the Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar in Cyprus and the Middle East. Sandgrouse 33(1): 34-43.

Abstract: The Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar (Phasianidae) is a popular game bird whose range extends from the Balkans to eastern Asia. The Chukar is threatened by human-mediated hybridization either with congeneric species (Red-legged A. rufa and Rock A. graeca Partridges) from Europe or exotic conspecifics (from eastern Asia), mainly through introductions. We investigated Chukar populations of the Middle East (Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Turkmenistan: n = 89 specimens) in order to obtain useful genetic information for the management of this species. We sequenced the entire mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Control Region using Mediterranean (Greece: n = 27) and eastern Asian (China: n = 18) populations as intraspecific outgroups. The Cypriot Chukars (wild and farmed birds) showed high diversity and only native genotypes; signatures of both demographic and spatial expansion were found. Our dataset suggests that Cyprus holds the most ancient A. chukar haplotype of the Middle East. We found A. rufa mtDNA lineage in Lebanese Chukars as well as A. chukar haplotypes of Chinese origin in Greek and Turkish Chukars. Given the very real risk of genetic pollution, we conclude that present management of game species such as the Chukar cannot avoid anymore the use of molecular tools. We recommend that Chukars must not be translocated from elsewhere to Cyprus.

China

Song, Bao, Wang, Bao, An, Wang & Liu (in press). Population structure and demographic history of the chukar partridge Alectoris chukar in China. Curr Zool. [pdf]

Ref: McGowan 1994 (HBW 2).

Richard Klim said:

Song, Bao, Wang, Bao, An, Wang & Liu (in press). Population structure and demographic history of the chukar partridge Alectoris chukar in China. Curr Zool. [pdf]

Ref: McGowan 1994 (HBW 2).

Click to expand...

The map in the paper provides many more sampling points for the HBW2 map - do you know if the HBW maps are updated regularly?
MJB

MJB said:

The map in the paper provides many more sampling points for the HBW2 map - do you know if the HBW maps are updated regularly?

Click to expand...

Mike, although Lynx's Internet Bird Collection includes the species/subspecies range descriptions from HBW, it (sadly) doesn't include the HBW distribution maps. The IBC maps just indicate the sources of the videos, photos and sounds in the collection.

It would be great if the existing HBW distribution maps were updated/refined for the forthcoming HBW & BirdLife Illustrated Checklist, and the online HBW Alive, but this would obviously be a huge task...

Incidentally, the distribution mapping is one of the weaker features of HBW. Many maps are quite difficult to interpret meaningfully, given that no political/administrative boundaries or gridlines are depicted (only coastlines and major lakes/rivers are shown). And the ranges of species with limited distributions are often presented on unnecessarily small-scale maps.

PS. The composite distribution map for Alectoris in McCarthy 2006 (Fig 2, p42) is quite interesting (despite lack of political boundaries etc!).

Kleini

H&M4 gives 1915 rather than 1925 as the date for Alectoris chukar kleini E. Hartert, contra Richmond Index, Peters 1934, Madge & McGowan 2002 (Pheasants etc), H&M3, Zoonomen, IOC.

Presumably a mistake, given that there's no footnote explaining the change wrt H&M3?

McGowan 1994 (HBW 2) included kleini in cypriotes Hartert, 1917, which would be an invalid synonymisation if kleini is senior.

NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXXII. 1925. 137

ERNST HARTERT.

IN 1917 I named the Chukar inhabiting Cyprus Alectoris graeca Cypriotes. In
1921 I stated that this form is much wider spread than I knew in 1917, rang-
ing from Crete, Rhodes, and Cyprus to the Greek Islands (Sporades, Cyclades),
througli Asia Minor and to Syria and the mountains of Judaea in Palestine.
This I must again restrict, as I have received from the Natural History Museum
of the King of the Bulgars, through the kindness of Dr. E. Klein in Sofia, two
specimens from Dede Agach and another from Harmanli. With these agree
specimens from Skyros (Northern Cyclades) and " Bosphorus " (probably the
European side). All these are darker on the upperside, being browner, and
especially the rump and upper tail-coverts are less greyish, more olivaceous ;
the upperside thus becomes more uniform, while in true Cypriotes there is a strong
contrast, especially in fresh plumage, between the greyish neck and rump and
the vinous-brown back. The throat of the European specimens is also darker
brown. I have examined specimens from Skyros, Dede Agach (Dedeagatsch),
Harmanli, and " Bosphorus." I propose for this form the name Alectoris
graeca kleini, after Dr. E. Klein of Sofia. Type $ ad., Island of Skyros, Aegaean
Sea, 14.x. 1894. Strimeneas coll. (Tring Museum).
http://www.archive.org/stream/novitateszoologi32lond/novitateszoologi32lond_djvu.txt

Kleini

mb1848 said:

NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXXII. 1925. 137
ERNST HARTERT ...

Click to expand...

Thanks, Mark. That removes any doubt!

Alectoris chukar asoica

Saman R. Lahony & Mohamad A. Al-Rawy. New sub-species of Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar (Gray 1830) (Phasianidae, Galliformes) from North East of Iraq with biological observation. Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2010) 11 (1): 57-67.

[PDF]

Peter Kovalik said:

Saman R. Lahony & Mohamad A. Al-Rawy. New sub-species of Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar (Gray 1830) (Phasianidae, Galliformes) from North East of Iraq with biological observation. Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2010) 11 (1): 57-67. [PDF]

Click to expand...

Hmm. At least 26 subspecies have already been named (of which H&M4 recognises 14). Madge & McGowan 2002 (Pheasants etc) notes that there is marked clinal variation and intergradation...

16.4. Species-group names: fixation of name-bearing types to be explicit. Every new specific and subspecific name published after 1999 [...] must be accompanied in the original publication [...] where the holotype or syntypes are extant specimens, by a statement of intent that they will be (or are) deposited in a collection and a statement indicating the name and location of that collection [...].

Click to expand...

They cite a number for the holotype, but this ("3418"...) leaves me clueless about where their holotype might well rest.
They also say that their "collection" (the "4 male and 6 females" "kept in the open"?) "were compared with reliable specimens of A. chukar in the Natural History Museum, University of Baghdad, Iraq", so it may be that they deposited their type there. But, as far as I can see, a statement is lacking, thus if the specimen is still in existence, the name is not available.
Is the specimen lost......?

introgression from Chukar into Rusty-necklaced Partridge

Chen, An, Liu. 2016. Asymmetrical introgression patterns between rusty-necklaced partridge (Alectoris magna) and chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) in China. Integr. Zool. 11:403-412.
[abstract]

Song, Jiang, Liu. 2017. Phylogeography of chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) in China based on mtDNA control region. Mitoch. DNA A 28:473-481.
[abstract]