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HBW Special Volume: new Amazonian species (1 Viewer)

Richard Klim

Richard Klim

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After the pre-publication hype, perhaps time to summarise AOU-SACC proposals and decisions re species recognition...
  • Nystalus (striolatus) obamai sp nov - Western Striolated-Puffbird: #617 (did not pass)
  • Nystalus (striolatus) torridus - Eastern Striolated-Puffbird: #617 (did not pass)

  • Dendrocolaptes (certhia) radiolatus - Napo Woodcreeper: #621 (did not pass)
  • Dendrocolaptes (certhia) juruanus - Juruá Woodcreeper: #621 (did not pass)
  • Dendrocolaptes (certhia) concolor - Plain-colored Woodcreeper: #621 (did not pass)
  • Dendrocolaptes (certhia) ridgwayi - Ridgway's Woodcreeper: #621 (did not pass)
  • Dendrocolaptes (certhia) retentus sp nov - Xingu Woodcreeper: #621 (did not pass)
  • Dendrocolaptes (certhia) medius - Todd's Woodcreeper: #621 (did not pass)

  • Lepidocolaptes (albolineatus) duidae - Duida Woodcreeper: #620 (passed)
  • Lepidocolaptes (albolineatus) fatimalimae sp nov - Inambari Woodcreeper: #620 (passed)
  • Lepidocolaptes (albolineatus) fuscicapillus - Rondônia Woodcreeper: #620 (passed)
  • Lepidocolaptes (albolineatus) layardi - Layard's Woodcreeper: #620 (passed)

  • Campylorhamphus (procurvoides) gyldenstolpei sp nov - Tupana Scythebill: #623 (did not pass)
  • Campylorhamphus (procurvoides) sanus - Zimmer's Scythebill: #623 (did not pass)
  • Campylorhamphus (procurvoides) multostriatus - Snethlage's Scythebill: #623 (did not pass)
  • Campylorhamphus (procurvoides) probatus - Rondônia Scythebill: #623 (did not pass)

  • Campylorhamphus (procurvoides) cardosoi sp nov - Tapajós Scythebill: #623 (did not pass)

  • Epinecrophylla (haematonota) pyrrhonota - Negro Stipple-throated Antwren: #589A (passed)
  • Epinecrophylla (haematonota) amazonica - Madeira Stipple-throated Antwren: #589A (passed)
  • Epinecrophylla (haematonota) dentei sp nov - Roosevelt Stipple-throated Antwren: #589B (pending)

  • Myrmotherula (iheringi) oreni sp nov - Bamboo Antwren: #618 (did not pass)
  • Myrmotherula (iheringi) heteroptera - Purus Antwren: #618 (did not pass)

  • Herpsilochmus (pileatus) praedictus sp nov - Predicted Antwren: #586 (passed)

  • Herpsilochmus (pileatus) stotzi sp nov - Aripuanã Antwren: #585 (passed)

  • Hypocnemis (striata) rondoni sp nov – Manicoré Warbling-Antbird: #588 (passed)

  • Zimmerius (villarejoi) chicomendesi sp nov - Chico's Tyrannulet: (proposal needed)

  • Hemitriccus (spodiops) cohnhafti sp nov - Acre Tody-Tyrant: #598 (passed)

  • Tolmomyias (assimilis) sucunduri sp nov - Sucunduri Yellow-margined Flycatcher: #646 (did not pass)

  • Polioptila (guianensis) attenboroughi sp nov - Inambari Gnatcatcher: #619 (did not pass)

  • Cyanocorax (heilprini) hafferi sp nov - Campina Jay: #635 (did not pass)
The proposed Nystalus spp were not recognised by HBW/BirdLife in Illustrated Checklist vol 1. It'll be interesting to see which of the proposed passerine spp are recognised in vol 2 (2016).
 
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Richard Klim said:
After the pre-publication hype, perhaps time to summarise AOU-SACC proposals and decisions re species recognition...
  • Nystalus (striolatus) obamai sp nov - Western Striolated-Puffbird: #617 (did not pass)
  • Nystalus (striolatus) torridus - Eastern Striolated-Puffbird: #617 (did not pass)
Click to expand...



  • The voting on this proposal was interesting, however. The proposal was based on the maximum split - to recognize obamai as a species, AND to recognize two other taxa, nominate striolatus and torridus, each as a species.

    Many of the comments suggested that there was sentiment for recognizing obamai as a species, but that no one wanted to further split the two eastern taxa. You would think that someone would have jumped on these comments and submitted a new proposal for recognition of obamai, without the entanglement of further splitting in striolatus. But as far as I aware, this has not yet happened.
 
Richard Klim said:
The proposed Nystalus spp were not recognised by HBW/BirdLife in Illustrated Checklist vol 1. It'll be interesting to see which of the proposed passerine spp are recognised in vol 2 (2016).
Click to expand...

I think how the team addresses "morphologically conservative" sub-oscines is going to be very interesting. For example I cannot see the Lineated woodcreeper group scoring the "magic 7" unless greater subtleties are allowed for within (revised) plumage criteria.

cheers, alan
 
Lineated Woodcreeper splits would score very highly for the vocal component; the proposed populations are vocally highly distinct. Adding some small numbers for morphological variation and the magic 7 points is not difficult to achieve for these birds.

I agree with SACC's approach on most of these, though. Some of them need re-proposing for less dramatic splits and one hopes that some of the major committees can sort that out before too long.

Overall, you have to say it was great to see all this stuff published - lots of clearly valid, unpublished taxa that otherwise would have spent the next 20-30 years in peer review hell if published through formal journals. But on the other hand, the result also includes various BSC subspecies described as PSC species and some papers which lack detail and fall frustratingly short of what they could have been. Even for some of the better splits (e.g. some of the ex-Myrmotherula splits) the presented rationale was really lacking.

On balance, I for one am very glad this was done as an initiative. Given the biodiversity crisis in southern Brazil, the route of traditional publication would not have served the greater good; some of these might have been almost extinct by the time they got published. Rapid publication plus some relatively swift critical review among colleagues is in the process of sorting most of this stuff out far more expeditiously; and the review of these papers has to date been pretty respectful and lacked much of the ludicrous commentary, criticism and hyperbole that many other neotropical taxonomic research has had to suffer from of late.
 
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Interesting discussion around the naming of Predicted Antwren. I can't decide whether that's a great decision or terrible one. But it's definitely great that it was accepted.

Dom
 
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