Marcos A. Raposo

Description of a New Species of Pionopsitta (Aves: Psittacidae) Endemic to Brazil

Abstract A new species from Brazil—Pionopsitta aurantiocephala—is described, which is easily distinguished from the other species of that genus by its completely bare, intensely orange colored head. Specimens of this species have been historically identified as immatures of P. vulturina, which occur in simpatry with P. aurantiocephala on the Middle Tapajós River and possibly on the Lower Madeira River. The description of a new species of Psittacidae stresses the importance of new studies in the regions of the Madeira and Tapajós rivers.

Associação entre aves e flores de duas espécies de árvores do gênero Erythrina (Fabaceae) na Mata Atlântica do sudeste do Brasil

Flowers are considered important resources in the diet of birds during the dry season. We studied the interaction between birds and two species of the trees of genus Erythrina (E. falcata and E. verna) at four localities in the state of Rio de Janeiro: Serra dos Orgaos, Serra da Mantiqueira, Vale do Paraiba, and the southern coastal area (Costa Verde). Sampling was during the dry season. The purpose of this study was to identify the bird species recorded visiting these Leguminosae species and to describe their feeding behavior. A total of 27 bird species were recorded feeding on nectar and 16 were recorded catching arthropods attracted by the flowers. Some strategies used by birds to exploit nectar are described. The presence of so many species and the time spent by them on the trees corroborate the importance of nectar consumption and flowers to the bird community during the dry season. The importance of bird species on pollination is also discussed.

Associations between chewing lice (Insecta, Phthiraptera) and albatrosses and petrels (Aves, Procellariiformes) collected in Brazil

Chewing lice were searched on 197 skins of 28 species of procellariiform birds collected in Brazil. A total of 38 species of lice were found on 112 skins belonging to 22 bird species. The lice were slide-mounted and identified. A list of lice species found and their host species is given and some host-louse associations are discussed under an evolutionary perspective.

Taxonomy and geographic variation of the Synallaxis ruficapilla Vieillot, 1819 species-complex (Aves: Passeriformes: Furnariidae)

AbstractThe species-group composed of the eastern Brazilian taxa Synallaxis ruficapilla Vieillot, 1819, S. infuscata O. M. O. Pinto, 1950, and S. whitneyi Pacheco and Gonzaga, 1995 is particularly intriguing as it presents interesting nomenclatural, phenomenological, and conceptual issues in avian taxonomy. Synallaxis ruficapilla was described from a specimen collected in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro. Pinto (Pap Avulsos do Dep de Zool 9:361–364, 1950) noticed plumage differences between Pernambuco specimens and the southern specimens that led him to describe S. ruficapilla infuscata, a taxon subsequently elevated to specific status. Pacheco and Gonzaga (Ararajuba 3:3–11, 1995) described a new species, Synallaxis whitneyi, from specimens collected at Boa Nova, Bahia. Essentially, S. whitneyi is paler (gray) than S. infuscata but darker than the whitish-brown S. ruficapilla. Despite the intermediate position of Synallaxis whitneyi, Pacheco and Gonzaga (1995) defended its validity based on its unique vocalization and morphology. Thereafter, S. whitneyi was synonymized in S. cinerea, but this synonymy was deemed invalid by Stopiglia and Raposo (Zootaxa 1166:49–55, 2006). Our objective was to review the taxonomy of the Synallaxis ruficapilla species-group. Our analysis showed that only S. ruficapilla and S. infuscata can be considered valid species;, that S. whitneyi is a synonym of S. ruficapilla, and that S. ruficapilla shows complex geographic variation in morphology and voice that has led other authors to consider a geographic variant as a third species in the complex.ZusammenfassungTaxonomie und geographische Variationen des Rotkappen-DickichtschlüpfersSynallaxis ruficapillaVieillot, 1819 (Aves: Passeriformes: Furnariidae (Töpfervögel)) Die Artengruppe, die sich aus den ost-brasilianischen Taxa Synallaxis ruficapilla Vieillot, 1819, S. infuscata O. M. O. Pinto, 1950, und S. whitneyi Pacheco und Gonzaga, 1995, zusammensetzt, ist besonders reizvoll, weil sie eine Reihe von Fragen zur Nomenklatur, Phänomenologie und zu konzeptionellen Fragestellungen in der Vogel-Taxonomie aufwirft. Synallaxis ruficapilla wurde anhand eines Exemplars aus der Umgebung von Rio de Janeiro beschrieben. Pinto (1950) beschrieb Gefiederunterschiede zwischen Pernambuco-Exemplaren und den südlichen Exemplaren, die ihn dazu brachten, S. ruficapilla infuscate zu beschreiben, ein Taxon, das anschließend zu einem besonderen Status erhoben wurde. Pacheco und Gonzaga (1995) beschrieben eine neue Art, Synallaxis whitneyi, anhand von Exemplaren, die in Boa Nova, Bahia, gesammelt wurden. Im Wesentlichen ist S. whitneyi blasser (grau) als S. infuscata, aber dunkler als die weißlich-braune S. ruficapilla. Trotz dieser Zwischenposition von Synallaxis whitneyi verteidigten Pacheco und Gonuaga (1995) die Gültigkeit ihrer Beschreibung und begründeten sie mit der einzigartigen Vokalisierung und Morphologie. Später wurde S. whitneyi mit S. cinera synonymisiert, was von Stopiglia und Raposo (2006) jedoch wieder für ungültig erklärt wurde. Das Ziel unserer Untersuchung war, die Taxonomie der ganzen Synallaxis ruficapilla-Artengruppe zu überprüfen. Unsere Analyse zeigte, dass nur S. ruficapilla und S. infuscata als eigene Arten angesehen werden können. S. whitneyi und S. ruficapilla sind synonym, und S. ruficapilla zeigt ausgeprägte geographische Variationen in Aussehen und Stimme, die andere Autoren dazu verleitet hatte, die geographische Variante als eine dritte Art innerhalb dieser Artengruppe anzusprechen.

VALIDATION OF THAMNOPHILUS CAPISTRATUS LESSON, 1840 (PASSERIFORMES: THAMNOPHILIDAE)

Abstract We reviewed the taxonomic status of Thamnophilus doliatus capistratus Lesson, 1840, which is endemic to eastern Brazil. The analyses of skins focused on plumage coloration and measurements. Morphometric skin analyses included descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, and discriminant-function analysis. The results provided a consistent morphological and morphometric diagnosis, and consequently validated Thamnophilus capistratus. Validação de Thamnophilus capistratus Lesson, 1840 (Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)

Geographic variation and taxonomy of the Arremon taciturnus (Hermann, 1783) species complex (Aves: Passerellidae)

Arremon taciturnus is a polytypic South American species with three currently recognized subspecies: Arremon taciturnus taciturnus, Arremon taciturnus nigrirostris and Arremon taciturnus axillaris. Historically, two additional species, Arremon semitorquatus, and Arremon franciscanus, were considered related to Arremon taciturnus, thus forming a species complex. In this paper, we review the taxonomy of the complex, including all taxa involved, based on coloration, morphometrics and vocal characters. All the taxa, except for A. taciturnus nigrirostris, are diagnosable based on coloration, especially of the bill, superciliary stripes and wing coverts, and have well-defined distributions. Based on our results, we suggest that A. taciturnus, A. axillaris, A. semitorquatus and A. franciscanus are valid species, while the specific name nigrirostris should be considered a junior synonym of taciturnus. All these species, besides A. taciturnus and A. axillaris, also have clearly different vocalizations. Additionally, we discuss the geographical variation between populations of A. taciturnus revealed by a multivariate analysis of song characters.ZusammenfassungGeographische Variation und Taxonomie derArremon taciturnus(Hermann, 1783) Sammelart 30 (Aves: Passerellidae)Arremon taciturnus ist eine polytypische südamerikanische Art mit drei derzeit anerkannten Unterarten: Arremon taciturnus taciturnus, Arremon taciturnus nigrirostris und Arremon taciturnus axillaris. Historisch betrachtet umfasst die Sammelart noch zwei weitere verwandte Arten, nämlich Arremon semitorquatus und Arremon franciscanus. In dieser Arbeit überprüfen wir die Taxonomie jedes einzelnen Taxons in der Sammelart anhand von Färbung, Morphometrie und Gesangmerkmalen. Alle Taxa außer A. taciturnus nigrirostris sind anhand von Färbung erkennbar, insbesondere des Schnabels, der Deckfedern und des Überaugenstreifs, und haben wohl definierte Verbreitungen. Aufgrund unserer Ergebnisse empfehlen wir, dass A. taciturnus, A. axillaris, A. semitorquatus und A. franciscanus begründete Arten sind, und dass der Name nigrirostris als jüngeres Synonym von taciturnus betrachtet werden soll. Alle Arten außer A. taciturnus und A. axillaris haben auch offensichtlich verschiedene Vokalisationen. Zusätzlich diskutieren wir die geographische Variation zwischen A. taciturnus Populationen, die mittels einer multivariate Analyse der Gesangmerkmale untersucht wurde.

Remarks on the name Cercomacra Sclater, 1858 (Aves: Thamnophilidae) and its type species

A recent molecular phylogeny of Cercomacra Sclater, 1858 found the genus to be polyphyletic (Tello et al. 2014). Two non-sister clades in putative Cercomacra were uncovered: Cercomacra sensu stricto , including Cercomacra manu Fitzpatrick & Willard, 1990, C. brasiliana Hellmayr, 1905, C. cinerascens (Sclater, 1857), C. melanaria (Menetries, 1835), C. ferdinandi Snethlage, 1928, C. carbonaria Sclater & Salvin, 1873 and C. nigricans Sclater, 1858; and Cercomacroides Tello & Raposo, 2014, including Cercomacroides nigrescens (Cabanis & Heine, 1859), C. laeta (Todd, 1920), C. parkeri (Graves, 1997), C. tyrannina (Sclater, 1855) and C. serva (Sclater, 1858). This split required a prior re-examination of the apparently difficult facts surrounding the name of the type species of Cercomacra to ensure that the appropriate group would retain that name leaving the balance to the new genus-group name, Cercomacroides . The findings of that re-examination are nomenclatural rather than taxonomic and are complex enough to deserve a historical explanation, which is presented here. In summary, Hellmayr (1905) was correct in clarifying the identity of the type species chosen by Sclater (1890), but he did not suggest any nomenclatural action to fix the misidentified type species. Subsequent information provided by Cory & Hellmayr (1924) regarding the type specimen of Cercomacra brasiliana was incorrect, and the holotype is not in St. Petersburg as they implied.

Birds, montane forest, state of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil

Field surveys in montane Atlantic forest of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, provided a list of 82 bird species in four sites visited. Our protocol relied on standardized use of mist nets and observations. The birds recorded include 40 Atlantic forest endemics, three globally and two nationally Vulnerable species, and two regionally Endangered species. Data on species elevation are included and discussed. This work enhances baseline knowledge of these species to assist future studies in these poorly understood, but biologically important areas.