Latest IOC Diary Updates (9 Viewers)

[Andy Adcock]

You didn't post here - you posted on the other parallel thread -

IOC splits and lumps - no techno babble​

Sorry, my wife acosted me with allegations of senility yesterday, the evidence is stacking up!

I ususally like to keep the other thread simple because of all the technical talk that goes on here. During periods of taxonomic inactivity, this discussion far outweighs stuff relating to splits and lumps and can make things less easy to find.

 

[Xenospiza]

Plains Lark - Monotypic Plains Lark Corypha kabalii is split from Rufous-naped Lark Corypha (Mirafra) africana based on a comprehensive integrated analysis including plumage, morphometrics, vocalizations, display and phylogenetics (Alström et al. 2024).

According to Alström et al. 2024, malbranti and irwini should be subspecies of kabalii.

Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae)

Abstract. The species complex comprising the rufous-naped lark Corypha africana, Sharpe’s lark Corypha sharpii, the red-winged lark Corypha hypermetra, the

academic.oup.com

The geographically close gomesi (unsequenced) and occidentalis stay with africana.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Does anyone know which form of "Red-naped Lark" occurs at the Beesley's Lark site north of Arusha? From the range map uprhread it looks like it's near the border.

 

[Xenospiza]

Does anyone know which form of "Red-naped Lark" occurs at the Beesley's Lark site north of Arusha? From the range map uprhread it looks like it's near the border.

Acccording to the article: hypermetra (harterti in SC Kenya only).

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Acccording to the article: hypermetra (harterti in SC Kenya only).

I was thinking athi (now within Sentinel Lark) hypermetra is in Red-winged (not Red-naped), which also occurs there (according to ebird)

 

[Xenospiza]

I was thinking athi (now within Sentinel Lark) hypermetra is in Red-winged (not Red-naped), which also occurs there (according to ebird)

Yes, must be athi.

 

[Swindon Addick]

The results of some fun with spreadsheets:

Highland Lark Corypha kurrae

C. kurrae henrici Guinea to sw Ivory Coast
C. kurrae batesi c Nigeria to se Niger and w Chad
C. kurrae stresemanni nc Cameroon
C. kurrae bamendae w Cameroon
C. kurrae kurrae w Sudan

Sentinel Lark Corypha athi

C. athi athi c Kenya to ne Tanzania
C. athi harterti sc Kenya

Plains Lark Corypha kabalii

C. kabalii kabalii ne Angola and nw Zambia

Plateau Lark Corypha nigrescens

C. nigrescens nigrescens ne Zambia and s Tanzania
C. nigrescens nyikae e Zambia, n Malawi and sw Tanzania

Rufous-naped Lark (Red-naped Lark) Corrypha africana

C. africana tropicalis e Uganda and w Kenya to nw Tanzania
C. africana ruwenzoria e DR Congo to sw Uganda
C. africana malbranti Gabon to s DR Congo
C. africana chapini se DR Congo and nw Zambia
C. africana occidentalis w Angola
C. africana gomesi e Angola and w Zambia
C. africana grisescens w Zambia, n Botswana and nw Zimbabwe
C. africana pallida sw Angola and nw Namibia
C. africana ghansiensis e Namibia and w Botswana
C. africana isolata se Malawi
C. africana transvaalensis Tanzania to n South Africa
C. africana africana se South Africa

 

[DDonsker]

Plains Lark - Monotypic Plains Lark Corypha kabalii is split from Rufous-naped Lark Corypha (Mirafra) africana based on a comprehensive integrated analysis including plumage, morphometrics, vocalizations, display and phylogenetics (Alström et al. 2024).

According to Alström et al. 2024, malbranti and irwini should be subspecies of kabalii.

Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae)

Abstract. The species complex comprising the rufous-naped lark Corypha africana, Sharpe’s lark Corypha sharpii, the red-winged lark Corypha hypermetra, the

academic.oup.com

The geographically close gomesi (unsequenced) and occidentalis stay with africana.

According to Alström et al. 2024, malbranti and irwini should be subspecies of kabalii.

https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean...lse[/URL My error. Thanks for catching that.

 

[Swindon Addick]

According to Alström et al. 2024, malbranti and irwini should be subspecies of kabalii.

https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean...lse[/URL My error. Thanks for catching that.

Looking at the full-ssp spreadsheet of 14.1 I can't see an irwini on the list at all? (I'll be missing something obvious here - I'm way beyond my level of knowledge the moment taxonomy ceases to be just playing with spreadsheets!)

 

[Jacana]

Looking at the full-ssp spreadsheet of 14.1 I can't see an irwini on the list at all? (I'll be missing something obvious here - I'm way beyond my level of knowledge the moment taxonomy ceases to be just playing with spreadsheets!)

It's not always recognised, but it's from a small area in SE Angola.

 

[DDonsker]

Looking at the full-ssp spreadsheet of 14.1 I can't see an irwini on the list at all? (I'll be missing something obvious here - I'm way beyond my level of knowledge the moment taxonomy ceases to be just playing with spreadsheets!)

It's not on the IOC 14.1 spreadsheet because it had been synonymized with Corypha (Mirafra) africana pallida based on Dickinson & Christidis (2014). It will be added to the IOC 14.2 spreadsheet as a subspecies of Corypha kabalii.

 

[Swindon Addick]

New and improved list with thanks for the explanations:

Highland Lark Corypha kurrae

C. kurrae henrici Guinea to sw Ivory Coast
C. kurrae batesi c Nigeria to se Niger and w Chad
C. kurrae stresemanni nc Cameroon
C. kurrae bamendae w Cameroon
C. kurrae kurrae w Sudan

Sentinel Lark Corypha athi

C. athi athi c Kenya to ne Tanzania
C. athi harterti sc Kenya

Plains Lark Corypha kabalii

C. kabalii kabalii ne Angola and nw Zambia
C. kabalii malbranti Gabon to s DR Congo
C. kabalii irwini se Angola

Plateau Lark Corypha nigrescens

C. nigrescens nigrescens ne Zambia and s Tanzania
C. nigrescens nyikae e Zambia, n Malawi and sw Tanzania

Rufous-naped Lark (Red-naped Lark) Corypha africana

C. africana tropicalis e Uganda and w Kenya to nw Tanzania
C. africana ruwenzoria e DR Congo to sw Uganda
C. africana chapini se DR Congo and nw Zambia
C. africana occidentalis w Angola
C. africana gomesi e Angola and w Zambia
C. africana grisescens w Zambia, n Botswana and nw Zimbabwe
C. africana pallida sw Angola and nw Namibia
C. africana ghansiensis e Namibia and w Botswana
C. africana isolata se Malawi
C. africana transvaalensis Tanzania to n South Africa
C. africana africana se South Africa

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

C. africana tropicalis e Uganda and w Kenya to nw Tanzania

I must be crazy, I made it a separate species

 

[sicklebill]

New and improved list with thanks for the explanations:

Highland Lark Corypha kurrae

C. kurrae henrici Guinea to sw Ivory Coast
C. kurrae batesi c Nigeria to se Niger and w Chad
C. kurrae stresemanni nc Cameroon
C. kurrae bamendae w Cameroon
C. kurrae kurrae w Sudan

Sentinel Lark Corypha athi

C. athi athi c Kenya to ne Tanzania
C. athi harterti sc Kenya

Plains Lark Corypha kabalii

C. kabalii kabalii ne Angola and nw Zambia
C. kabalii malbranti Gabon to s DR Congo
C. kabalii irwini se Angola

Plateau Lark Corypha nigrescens

C. nigrescens nigrescens ne Zambia and s Tanzania
C. nigrescens nyikae e Zambia, n Malawi and sw Tanzania

Rufous-naped Lark (Red-naped Lark) Corypha africana

C. africana tropicalis e Uganda and w Kenya to nw Tanzania
C. africana ruwenzoria e DR Congo to sw Uganda
C. africana chapini se DR Congo and nw Zambia
C. africana occidentalis w Angola
C. africana gomesi e Angola and w Zambia
C. africana grisescens w Zambia, n Botswana and nw Zimbabwe
C. africana pallida sw Angola and nw Namibia
C. africana ghansiensis e Namibia and w Botswana
C. africana isolata se Malawi
C. africana transvaalensis Tanzania to n South Africa
C. africana africana se South Africa

Great that clears up my query about both chapini and kaballii initially shown in NW Zambia, and I get a tick!

 

[Ian Lewis]

New and improved list with thanks for the explanations:

Highland Lark Corypha kurrae

C. kurrae henrici Guinea to sw Ivory Coast
C. kurrae batesi c Nigeria to se Niger and w Chad
C. kurrae stresemanni nc Cameroon
C. kurrae bamendae w Cameroon
C. kurrae kurrae w Sudan

Sentinel Lark Corypha athi

C. athi athi c Kenya to ne Tanzania
C. athi harterti sc Kenya

Plains Lark Corypha kabalii

C. kabalii kabalii ne Angola and nw Zambia
C. kabalii malbranti Gabon to s DR Congo
C. kabalii irwini se Angola

Plateau Lark Corypha nigrescens

C. nigrescens nigrescens ne Zambia and s Tanzania
C. nigrescens nyikae e Zambia, n Malawi and sw Tanzania

Rufous-naped Lark (Red-naped Lark) Corypha africana

C. africana tropicalis e Uganda and w Kenya to nw Tanzania
C. africana ruwenzoria e DR Congo to sw Uganda
C. africana chapini se DR Congo and nw Zambia
C. africana occidentalis w Angola
C. africana gomesi e Angola and w Zambia
C. africana grisescens w Zambia, n Botswana and nw Zimbabwe
C. africana pallida sw Angola and nw Namibia
C. africana ghansiensis e Namibia and w Botswana
C. africana isolata se Malawi
C. africana transvaalensis Tanzania to n South Africa
C. africana africana se South Africa

Many thanks, that confirms what I thought yesterday, Sentinel and Plateau are ticks, Plains and Highland aren't

 

[James Lowther]

Anyone any idea of relative distribution of athi, harterti and tropicalis in Kenya, in particular which is the form that is hyper abundant in the Mara region?
Cheers
James

 

[gusasp]

Jul 13 Post lump of extinct Macquarie Parakeet with Red-crowned Parakeet.

 

[Markus Lagerqvist]

Northern Xenops

Xenops mexicanus

ADD

AS

Slender-billed Xenops

Northern Xenops Xenops mexicanus is split from Amazonian (Plain) Xenops Xenops genibarbis based on differences in plumage, vocalizations, and nuDNA genomics (Harvey & Brumfield 2015; Arbeláez-Cortés 2020; SACC 996),

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Northern Xenops

Xenops mexicanus

ADD

AS

Slender-billed Xenops

Northern Xenops Xenops mexicanus is split from Amazonian (Plain) Xenops Xenops genibarbis based on differences in plumage, vocalizations, and nuDNA genomics (Harvey & Brumfield 2015; Arbeláez-Cortés 2020; SACC 996),

Is it monotypic? If so then surely Amazonian Xenops is a strange suggestion for the name of everything that remains in what was Plain Xenops, given the range?

 

[raymie]

Is it monotypic? If so then surely Amazonian Xenops is a strange suggestion for the name of everything that remains in what was Plain Xenops, given the range?

I would assume this means the whole "mexicanus group" as defined by Clements, which would include ridgwayi, littoralis, neglectus and olivaceous.