MACNBR   00242
MUSEO ARGENTINO DE CIENCIAS NATURALES "BERNARDINO RIVADAVIA"
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Blue males and green females. Sexual dichromatism in the swallow-tanager (Tersina viridis) and the blue dacnis (Dacnis cayana).
Autor/es:
BARREIRA, A.; GARCÍA, G.; LOUGHEED, S. C.; TUBARO, P. L.
Revista:
ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL
Editorial:
Neotropcal Ornithological Society, USA
Referencias:
Año: 2008 vol. 19 p. 441 - 450
ISSN:
1075-4377
Resumen:
Abstract. Sexual differences in plumage coloration, referred to as sexual dichromatism, are a common
phenomenon among tanagers (family Thraupidae). In many species of this group, sexual dichromatism is
perceived, by human observers under natural light conditions, as blue males and green females. For
instance, this pattern is recurrent among species of several genera, such as Chlorochrysa, Tangara, Dacnis,
Chlorophanes, Cyanerpes and Tersina. To understand the physical nature of this phenomenon, and to assess
the degree of similarity/difference in sexual dichromatism exhibited by different species, we described the
plumage color of the Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) and the Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana) using reflectance
spectrophotometry. In both species there were no sexual differences in hue. Instead, males showed a secondary
peak of reflectance in the short-wavelength (UV-violet) part of the spectrum, which was absent in
females. This bimodal reflectance shape of males is different from the most commonly found unimodal
pattern of blue plumages. Given the spectral similarity by which both studied species achieve the same
blue-green sexual dichromatism, and the fact that molecular evidence indicates a close relationship
between the genera Tersina and Dacnis, we interpret the particular sexual dichromatism found in both the
Swallow Tanager and the Blue Dacnis as a homologous condition. Accepted 3 June 2008.