Peter Kovalik
Well-known member
DID NOT PASS
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Cuckoos of the World (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Richard Klim
- Start date
DID NOT PASS
Mysticete
Well-known member
Coevolution with hosts underpins speciation in brood-parasitic cuckoos
Some interesting ramifications in this study which could make cuckoos become the next "Crossbill"...
Jim LeNomenclatoriste
Je suis un mignon petit Traquet rubicole
Is Rhinorthini really available?
l_raty
laurent raty
In my opinion, no.
(First used by Hughes in 2000, who attributed it to Seibel 1988 (Seibel DE. 1988. A phylogenetic analysis of the Cuculiformes and Opisthocomus, based on postcranial skeletal characters. PhD thesis, University of Kansas.), which is not a published work; not flagged as new after 1999: cannot be available.)
Jim LeNomenclatoriste
Je suis un mignon petit Traquet rubicole
That's what it seemed to me
l_raty
laurent raty
Additionally, a recent "Rhinortini" would be a bit problematic, as it would be a junior homonym of Rhinortharia Distant 1907 (type Rhinortha Walker 1851; Hemiptera; original rank "division" within a subfamily; Insecta Transvaaliensia ), which has been used (as Rhinorthini or Rhinorthinae) until the 1960s at least.
Distant's name is based on a junior homonym, hence permanently invalid, but it is available and competes for homonymy.
Distant's name is based on a junior homonym, hence permanently invalid, but it is available and competes for homonymy.
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Jim LeNomenclatoriste
Je suis un mignon petit Traquet rubicole
it would be suffice to spell it Rhinorthaini
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l_raty
laurent raty
Yes this would suffice. (I assume this is what you mean ?) But this is not what has been done so far.
(The other option is to ask the Commission to suppress the homonym.)
Jim LeNomenclatoriste
Je suis un mignon petit Traquet rubicole
Yes, but Google translate decided otherwise
albertonykus
Well-known member
Collar, N.J. and G.M. Kirwan (2024)
Coua cristata maxima—species or subspecies, adult or juvenile, extant or extinct, aberrant or hybrid?
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 144: 269–280
doi: 10.25226/bboc.v144i3.2024.a7
Coua cristata maxima, known by nothing more than a unique specimen taken in south-east Madagascar in 1948, was distinguished by its greater size than other subspecies of Crested Coua C. cristata (of which pyropyga, sometimes accorded species rank, is the largest) and by its shorter crest, bluer upperparts, wings and tail, fully cinnamon-tawny underparts and mid-sized white tail tips. A separate assessment of the holotype published in 1997 made various refinements to this diagnosis, and our own examination found the facial configuration seemingly inconsistent with that of pyropyga, showing a weaker superciliary line and possibly a reduced area of bare skin around the eye, although these features may, like the short crest, simply be indications of immaturity. Even if they are, however, maxima appears too distinct to retain subspecific rank: it seems more likely to be either a full species or, as first intimated in 1997, a hybrid. Four of the six Coua species around the type locality cannot be possible parents, but seven features of the holotype are consistent with a Blue Coua C. caerulea × C. cristata pairing. Molecular investigation is urgently needed to determine whether maxima is a valid species. If it is, it will either be highly threatened or extinct; little-known hinterland forest from Manafiafy (35 km north-east of Taolagnaro) north at least to Manantenina has been identified for survey.
Coua cristata maxima—species or subspecies, adult or juvenile, extant or extinct, aberrant or hybrid?
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 144: 269–280
doi: 10.25226/bboc.v144i3.2024.a7
Coua cristata maxima, known by nothing more than a unique specimen taken in south-east Madagascar in 1948, was distinguished by its greater size than other subspecies of Crested Coua C. cristata (of which pyropyga, sometimes accorded species rank, is the largest) and by its shorter crest, bluer upperparts, wings and tail, fully cinnamon-tawny underparts and mid-sized white tail tips. A separate assessment of the holotype published in 1997 made various refinements to this diagnosis, and our own examination found the facial configuration seemingly inconsistent with that of pyropyga, showing a weaker superciliary line and possibly a reduced area of bare skin around the eye, although these features may, like the short crest, simply be indications of immaturity. Even if they are, however, maxima appears too distinct to retain subspecific rank: it seems more likely to be either a full species or, as first intimated in 1997, a hybrid. Four of the six Coua species around the type locality cannot be possible parents, but seven features of the holotype are consistent with a Blue Coua C. caerulea × C. cristata pairing. Molecular investigation is urgently needed to determine whether maxima is a valid species. If it is, it will either be highly threatened or extinct; little-known hinterland forest from Manafiafy (35 km north-east of Taolagnaro) north at least to Manantenina has been identified for survey.
Peter Kovalik
Well-known member
John van Dort and Roselvy Juárez (2024) Eye colour is geographically variable in Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox (Wagner, 1836). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 144: 415-424.
Eye colour is geographically variable in Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox (Wagner, 1836)
Abstract
All modern avian world taxonomies currently treat Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox as monotypic. Since its description in 1836, however, five subspecies have been described based on tail pattern and underparts colour. These features were later found to be subject to individual and seasonal variation, and in the late 1990s the species was reclassified as monotypic. Here we present a previously overlooked diagnosable character that separates three geographic populations. We evaluated 1,400 photos archived in Macaulay Library and found consistent differences in iris colour, and no evidence of clinal connectivity, suggestive of divergence. We describe sectoral heterochromia for populations of Lesser Roadrunner in Yucatán and Honduras east to Nicaragua, a potential adaptation to foraging in tropical open habitats.
Eye colour is geographically variable in Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox (Wagner, 1836)
Abstract
All modern avian world taxonomies currently treat Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox as monotypic. Since its description in 1836, however, five subspecies have been described based on tail pattern and underparts colour. These features were later found to be subject to individual and seasonal variation, and in the late 1990s the species was reclassified as monotypic. Here we present a previously overlooked diagnosable character that separates three geographic populations. We evaluated 1,400 photos archived in Macaulay Library and found consistent differences in iris colour, and no evidence of clinal connectivity, suggestive of divergence. We describe sectoral heterochromia for populations of Lesser Roadrunner in Yucatán and Honduras east to Nicaragua, a potential adaptation to foraging in tropical open habitats.