For anyone interested in such things, a paper has just been published which advocates splitting the White naped Honeyeater into two – the South West WA form becoming Melithreptus whitlocki.
This is no particular surprise; Christidis and Boles flagged the possibility and the latest Slater field guide has it as a separate species already. The paper advocates that treatment on the basis that genetically the two forms currently in White naped are in fact each more closely related to Black headed Honeyeater than they are to each other. While I have not read the entire paper, I don’t think it says anything that would particularly support splitting Golden backed from Black chinned.
The citation of the paper is Toon, Hughes & Joseph 2010. Multilocus analysis of honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae) highlights spatio-temporal heterogeneity in the influence of biogeographic barriers in the Australian monsoonal zone. Mol Ecol: in press. The abstract can be found at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123571854/abstract
It also makes reference to an in press paper supporting the splitting of the Western Ground Parrot.
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I was wondering about the name/ I think it is fascinating how the genetics works – you get these two similar looking birds and the Tasmanian black headed pops up in the middle… Chloropsis is green eyed…beware the green eyed monster
Cas
Lesser Black-headed HE!
Bill
Any suggestions or proposed common name? Western White-naped Honeyeater seems a bit long. Whitlock’s Honeyeater sounds good, or Western Honeyeater perhaps.
I’ve now read the paper – the divergence between gularis and laetior is pretty recent (0.3-1.2 Ma), while White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis) split earlier (2.4-5.2 Ma) and is quite distinctive genetically (if I read rightly, it may represent two species, one eastern and one northern too)
Article also proposes divergence within the M. affinis-M. lunatus species group occurred around 2-4.6 Ma, leading to eastern and western taxa followed by the divergence within the eastern group around 1.2-3.2 Ma leading to the endemic Tasmanian species, M. affinis and eastern M. lunatus.
Adds that validirostris got isolated in Tasmania earlier.
Cheers Cas —–Original Message—– href=”mailto:birding-aus-bounces@vicnet.net.au”>birding-aus-bounces@vicnet.net.au [mailto:birding-aus-bounces@vicnet.net.au] On Behalf Of Frank O”Connor Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 4:26 PM href=”mailto:birding-aus@vicnet.net.au”>birding-aus@vicnet.net.au; birdswa email list
I asked Ron Johnstone of the WA Museum about the proposed split of the White-naped Honeyeater in the south west. His reply is below.
_________________________________________________________________ Frank O’Connor Birding WA http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au Phone : (08) 9386 5694 Email : foconnor@iinet.net.au
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Sand-groped Honeyeater …..to reflect the no doubt exurberance the West will embrace a new endemic.
Chris Charles licole@ozemail.com.au 33deg 47’30″S 151deg10’09″E
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Queensland has the Red-necked Crake, so what about a Red-necked Honeyeater for Western Australia?
Bob
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How about Obscure Occidental Melithreptus?
Slater used the bland Western Honeyeater. An American website that keeps track of taxonomic changes suggested Swan River Honeyeater. I am not sure if they made that up themselves.
Actually I think I was wrong when I said it would be M. whitlocki. I think it will in fact be M. chloropsis.
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