yellow-rumped pardalote

Hi all,
in response to postings by John Leonard & James Mustafa among others, I agree that the spotted/yellow-rumped pardalote Pardalotus punctatus/xanthopyge group needs further taxonomic review. By the way, I studied vocalisations of the south-eastern subspecies of Striated Pardalote P. striatus (which supported their conspecificity) and cannot in fact recall writing about the spotted group.
It is not quite true to say there is no reported interbreeding of spotteds & yellow-rumps. This was published way back in 1983 by JCZ Woinarski (Emu 83:80-86). I believe John’s field study took place at Millwood Dam, Bendigo Whipstick/Kamarooka forest (now part of Greater Bendigo NP, Vic.). I believe some interbreeding has also been reported from the Adelaide region of SA but don’t have any details to hand.
This does not however mean the two should be lumped. As noted by others, the vocalisations (of punctatus vs. xanthopyge)  are distinctive and the habitats occupied by each are quite sharply differentiated. The two taxa maintain their distinct populations at the boundary of quite small  isolated mallee remnants surrounded by box-ironbark woodland in Victoria (e.g. Bendigo whipstick, Rushworth Forest and even the Long Forest near Bacchus Marsh), as is seemingly also the case in WA as noted by Frank O’C.Interbreeding over such a small geographical area would not seem to preclude the two being considered separate species, as is the case for the Eastern, Pale-headed & Northern Rosella group (although being parrots, has science been thrown out the window to give them special treatment not afforded to the less iconic small passerines??)
The two pardalotes should certainly be considered as ecological species under one of the Phylogenetic species concepts, even if they don’t quite qualify as species under the Biological species concept. They would appear to be more distinctive as a species pair than Yellow-throated and Black-eared Miners. Genetic analysis? – bring it on!
While we’re on the subject of splitting and lumping, how about the shrike-tits? Obviously isolated geographically and distinctive morphologically, and vocalisations also differ at least in some respects (see Graeme Chapman’s website for calls of Northern). What are the taxonomists waiting for ?
CheersPeter