Species limits and biogeography of the White-browed Tapaculo (Scytalopus superciliaris) complex and the Puna Tapaculo (S. simonsi)

ARETA JI; MONTELEONE D

JOURNAL FUR ORNITHOLOGIE

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2023 vol. 164 p. 13 - 35

0021-8375

The Scytalopus superciliaris complex consists of three recognized taxa: the Zimmer ́s Tapaculo Scytalopus zimmeri inBolivia and Argentina, and the Argentina endemic White-browed Tapaculo S. superciliaris with subspecies superciliarisand santabarbarae, while its southernmost population has a distinctive plumage but remains vocally unknown. Scytalopus zimmeri has been considered as an intermediate taxon between Puna Tapaculo S. simonsi and S. superciliaris based on plum-age characters and vocalizations; and potential hybrids between S. zimmeri and S. simonsi were reported from two localitiesin Bolivia. We characterized the geographic variation in plumages and vocalizations of the S. superciliaris complex and S.simonsi, and describe a new pale and large subspecies, S. superciliaris ambatensis from the Ambato and Velasco ranges.All studied forms were allopatric. The three subspecies of S. superciliaris inhabit different sub-Andean mountain ranges.Two allopatric plumage forms of S. simonsi (northern, Peru and Bolivia; and southern, Bolivia) and two of S. zimmeri(northern, Bolivia; and southern, Bolivia and Argentina), occur on the eastern slope of the Andes. We reject the existenceof hybridization between the allopatric S. zimmeri and S. simonsi; presumed hybrids pertain to normal southern S. simonsibased on plumage and vocalizations. All S. superciliaris taxa had similar songs and calls over 600 km. Songs and calls ofS. superciliaris, southern S. zimmeri and both S. simonsi populations are diagnostic and support their recognition as differ-ent species, while northern zimmeri remains vocally unknown. The southern and northern populations of S. simonsi differvocally, the latter possibly being an undescribed species.