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Dicruridae (1 Viewer)

Peter Kovalik

Peter Kovalik

Well-known member
Slovakia
Fuchs J., Fjeldså J., Bowie R.C.K., accepted. Diversification across major biogeographic breaks in the African Shining-Square tailed Drongos complex (Passeriformes : Dicruridae). Zoologica Scripta.
 
Dicrurus adsimilis

Fuchs J, De Swardt DH, Oatley G, Fjeldså J, Bowie RCK. Habitat-driven diversification, hybridization and cryptic diversity in the Fork-tailed Drongo (Passeriformes: Dicruridae: Dicrurus adsimilis). Zool Scr. 2018;00:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12274

Abstract:

Species complexes of widespread African vertebrates that include taxa distributed across different habitats are poorly understood in terms of their phylogenetic relationships, levels of genetic differentiation and diversification dynamics. The Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) species complex includes seven Afrotropical taxa with parapatric distributions, each inhabiting a particular bioregion. Various taxonomic hypotheses concerning the species limits of the Fork-tailed Drongo have been suggested, based largely on mantle and upperpart coloration, but our understanding of diversity and diversification patterns remains incomplete. Especially given our lack of knowledge about how well these characters reflect taxonomy in a morphologically conservative group. Using a thorough sampling across Afrotropical bioregions, we suggest that the number of recognized species within the D. adsimilis superspecies complex has likely been underestimated and that mantle and upperpart coloration reflects local adaptation to different habitat structure, rather than phylogenetic relationships. Our results are consistent with recent phylogeographic studies of sub-Saharan African vertebrates, indicating that widespread and often morphologically uniform species comprise several paraphyletic lineages, often with one or more of the lineages being closely related to phenotypically distinct forms inhabiting a different, yet geographically close, biome.
 
Peter Kovalik said:
Fuchs J, De Swardt DH, Oatley G, Fjeldså J, Bowie RCK. Habitat-driven diversification, hybridization and cryptic diversity in the Fork-tailed Drongo (Passeriformes: Dicruridae: Dicrurus adsimilis). Zool Scr. 2018;00:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12274
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Based on our phylogenetic results, we propose a new classification and taxonomy for the D. adsimilis taxa distributed in sub-saharan Africa.

Dicrurus atactus Oberholser, 1899
Dicrurus modestus Hartlaub, 1849
- D. modestus modestus Hartlaub, 1849
- D. modestus coracinus J Verreaux and É. Verreaux, 1851
Dicrurus divaricatus M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823
- D. divaricatus divaricatus M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823
- D. divaricatus lugubris (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1828)
Dicrurus apivorus Clancey, 1976
Dicrurus adsimilis Bechstein, 1794
- D. adsimilis adsimilis Bechstein, 1794
- D. adsimilis fugax W. K. H. Peters, 1868
- D. adsimilis jubaensis van Someren, 1931
 
For those who cannot wait for the "official" list, some suggested new drongo names (partly based on Sclater 1930, Systema Avium Æthiopicarum, part II, pp. 594-595);
Dicrurus adsimilis Fork-tailed Drongo or Southern Fork-tailed Drongo
D. divaricatus Glossy-backed Drongo or Northern Fork-tailed Drongo
D. apivorus Namib Drongo or Clancey's Drongo
D. modestus Velvet-mantled Drongo or Eastern Velvet-mantled Drongo
D. atactus Fanti Drongo or Western Velvet-mantled Drongo
 
Great James, thanks for this, I thought there'd be some precedent and was about to delve into Mackworth-Praed and Grant. Be interesting to see what gets adopted, N and S Fork-tailed sound good and Eastern and Western Velvet-mantled works well as I always like to retain the parent name somewhere; then Namib or Clancey's, be nice to commemorate that great ornithologist and go against the PC trend to avoid eponymns.
 
Taxonomic revision of the Square-tailed Drongo species complex (Passeriformes: Dicruridae) with description of a new species from western Africa
JÉRÔME FUCHS, MORY DOUNO, RAURI C.K. BOWIE, JON FJELDSÅ

Abstract

We describe a new species of drongo in the Square-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus ludwigii) complex using a combination of biometric and genetic data. The new species differs from previously described taxa in the Square-tailed Drongo complex by possessing a significantly heavier bill and via substantial genetic divergence (6.7%) from its sister-species D. sharpei. The new species is distributed across the gallery forests of coastal Guinea, extending to the Niger and Benue Rivers of Nigeria. We suspect that this taxon was overlooked by previous avian systematists because they either lacked comparative material from western Africa or because the key diagnostic morphological character (bill characteristics) was not measured. We provide an updated taxonomy of the Square-tailed Drongo species complex.

http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4438.1.4

Dicrurus ?????? sp. nov.

If anyone has this paper, I'm ready to receive it.
 
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Can anyone help with the recent drongo splits in terms of distribution. Bubo is sufficiently vague about it that I don't know if these new species overlap.

Fork tailed drongo
Glossy backed drongo
Velvet mantled drongo
Fanti Drongo

Thanks in advance
 
IOC says Fanti Drongo is everything west of SW Nigeria and Velvet-mantled is everything east of there. Though I would have thought that the Dahomey gap would be a better splitting point?

Fork-tailed Drongo is Southern and Eastern Africa, northwards to mid Kenya and also the isolated populations around Gabon. Glossy-backed is Horn of Africa and Western Africa. I'm not entirely sure where the exact split is and any overlap zone will be very narrow in northern Kenya (the only likely spot birders will get into trouble with the two species).
 
Trystan said:
Thanks for this. My birds in Kenya could cause me a headache but I'm covered on the other split!
Click to expand...

Where did you go in Kenya? I think anything from southern Turkana north should be safely Glossy-backed while Meru and south should be Fork-tailed.
 
jacana said:
Where did you go in Kenya? I think anything from southern Turkana north should be safely Glossy-backed while Meru and south should be Fork-tailed.
Click to expand...

I don't have particularly good notes from that point in my life, we didn't go further North than Samburu and Lake Baringo but also down to the Masai Mara so that would be fork tailed. I also have records of fork tailed more recently in Ghana which would therefore be Glossy-backed so based on this, I have all 4 of these splits!

Happy days
 

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