Cryptic diversity in a neotropical avian species complex untangled by neglected genetic evidence

ABSTRACT

Over the last two decades, vocal and genetic data have been extensively used in avian studies addressing taxonomic and systematic issues. However, even when multiple lines of evidence lean toward lumping or splitting of species, some taxonomic committees refuse to acknowledge their validity until convincing genetic evidence is produced and integrated with other sources of data. As a case in point, the genus Pseudocolaptes (Furnariidae) consists of three mostly allopatric and overtly distinct neotropical taxa differing in plumage and vocal features: the Streaked Tuftedcheek (P. boissonneautii), the Buffy Tuftedcheek (P. lawrencii), and the contentious Pacific Tuftedcheek (P. johnsoni). In this study, we assemble already available mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to assess their taxonomy and to provide appointed committees with specific proof to ascertain the number of Pseudocolaptes species. Phylogenetic inference and species delimitation analysis indicate three species equally divergent from each other. We hope that this work will contribute to resolve the long-lasting taxonomical confusion regarding this genus, and that proper future conservation plans will be adopted to preserve each species within the inhabited biodiversity hotspot.

KEYWORDS:

• Integrative taxonomy
• Pseudocolaptes
• Furnariidae
• Neotropics
• taxonomic committees
• biodiversity hotspots

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Nigel Collar for providing photographs of Pseudocolaptes museum specimens from AMNH. Special thanks to Miguel Rios (www.panamawildlife.net), Tom Friedel (www.birdphotos.com) and Juan José Arango (https://flickr.com/photos/jjarango/) for granting authorization to publish their photographs in Figure 2.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

MJJ is supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT, [SFRH/BPD/109148/2015] and the European Social Fund [UE/FSE], while GF is supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT [FCT, PTDC/BAA- 360 AGR/28866/2017].