Ornithologists have described a new species of tanager in the genus Trichothraupis living on the Eastern slopes of the Andes.
The newly-discovered species belongs to Trichothraupis, a genus that was established in 1851 and, until now, included only one species: the black-goggled tanager (Trichothraupis melanops).
These forest-dwelling birds live in pairs or in small groups, and feed on fruit and arthropods, regularly feeding on army ant swarms.
They are common in the Atlantic Forest, where they are bold, conspicuous, and easy to observe. However, they are less conspicuous in the Andes, where their main habitat consists of drier forests than in the Atlantic regions.
“Trichothraupis is a monospecific genus found in two disjunct populations, one in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil (Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul states), northeastern Argentina, and eastern Paraguay, from sea level up to 1,200 m,” said Dr. Vagner Cavarzere from the Universidade Estadual Paulista and his colleagues.
“Normally associated with the Atlantic Forest, there are some isolated populations in the southern Pantanal as well as in the gallery forests of eastern Chaco.”
“A second population can be found on the eastern slopes of the Andes from northern Peru to extreme northwestern Argentina, mainly from 1,000 m to 1,700 m.”
A recent study demonstrated that the Atlantic and Andean populations of Trichothraupis melanops are genetically isolated, and therefore, that the current classification as a monotypic species should be revisited.
In a new study, Dr. Cavarzere and co-authors evaluated the morphology, plumage, and vocalizations of the Atlantic and Andean populations.
The researchers examined a total of 581 skin specimens housed in museums around the world.
“Our study of plumage revealed full diagnosability between the two populations of Trichothraupis,” they said.
“Both populations are also differentiated by tarsus length, with the Atlantic population having longer…
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