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Caprimulgiformes splits (1 Viewer)

GMK

GMK

Well-known member
Listers will take note of the latest Nigel Cleere offering on the Caprimulgiformes, just published by WildGuides (http://www.wildguides.co.uk/forthcomingtitles). I enjoyed looking at Nigel's copy last week and received a copy of my own two days ago. Compared to Cleere's earlier monograph, which listed 119 species, or Holyoak's (2001 OUP tome), which had one less, Nigel's sumptiously illustrated photo guide recognises 135!

I don't have time to deal with the book in detail, as I'm heading to the field for several months in a couple of days, but some of the newly recognised species include Tepui Nightjar Anstrostomus roraimae (split from Band-winged Nightjar A. longirostris), Palau Nightjar Caprimulgus phalaena (split from Jungle Nightjar C. indicus), Indochinese Frogmouth Batrachostomus continentalis (split from Javan Frogmouth B. javensis) and Solomons Frogmouth Rigidipenna inexpectata (split from Marbled Frogmouth Podargus ocellatus). Of course, the latter was already dealt with in Nigel et al.'s Ibis paper. (Note that generic assignments were made prior to some of the recently published recommendations in the literature, just going to show once again that anyone who publishes is immediately out of date.)
 
GMK said:
...and received a copy of my own two days ago.
Click to expand...
Amazon UK estimated dispatch of my copy on 24 June (= today). Hopefully the postman will soon have a present for me...

Richard

PS: Guy, you recently promised to post the contents of September's Bull BOC before you disappeared into the field... ;)
 
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Richard Klim said:
Amazon UK estimated dispatch of my copy on 24 June (= today). Hopefully the postman will soon have a present for me...
Click to expand...
The price might be competitive (£23.21 incl delivery, vs RRP £45), but Amazon UK today announced: "We regret to inform you that your order will take longer to fulfill than originally estimated. Our supplier has notified us that there is a delay obtaining stock..."

Richard :C
 
Cleere 2010

Further to Guy's post, I've undertaken a quick review of the taxonomic changes in Cleere 2010 (Nightjars of the World) cf Cleere & Nurney 1998 (Nightjars), with an indication of those implemented by the major updated world checklists...

Generic reassignments:

  • Eurostopodus temminckii to Lyncornis
  • Eurostopodus macrotis to Lyncornis
  • Chordeiles vielliardi to Nyctiprogne [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Uropsalis spp to Macropsalis
  • Caprimulgus binotatus to Veles [IOC]
  • Caprimulgus candicans to Eleothreptus [BLI]
  • Caprimulgus (other New World spp) to Antrostomus
Split/generic reassignment:

  • Rigidipenna inexpectata Solomons Frogmouth from Podargus ocellatus [IOC, BLI, Clements]
Splits:

  • Eurostopodus nigripennis Solomons Nightjar from E mystacalis
  • Eurostopodus exul New Caledonian Nightjar from E mystacalis
  • Antrostomus arizonae Mexican Whip-poor-will (incl setosus, oaxaca, chiapensis, vermiculatus) from A vociferus
  • Antrostomus roraimae Tepui Nightjar from A longirostris
  • Antrostomus decussatus Tschudi's Nightjar from A longirostris
  • Antrostomus heterurus Todd's Nightjar from A parvulus [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Caprimulgus jotaka Grey Nightjar (incl hazarae) from C indicus [IOC]
  • Caprimulgus phalaena Palau Nightjar from C indicus
  • Caprimulgus andamanicus Andaman Nightjar from C macrurus [IOC, Clements]
  • Batrachostomus continentalis Indochinese Frogmouth from B javensis
  • Batrachostomus affinis Blyth's Frogmouth from B javensis [BLI]
  • Batrachostomus chaseni Palawan Frogmouth from B javensis
  • Aegotheles tatei Spangled Owlet-nightjar from A insignis [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Aegotheles affinis Salvadori's Owlet Nightjar (incl terborghi) from A bennettii
Newly described:

  • Caprimulgus meesi Mees's Nightjar [IOC, BLI, Clements]
Name changes:

  • Hydropsalis brasiliana to H torquata [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Macropsalis creagra to M forcipata [IOC, BLI, Clements]
Richard
 
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Still a bit confused with Amazon and the book - seem to have them up for £23.21 and £42.75 with RRP of £30.95 and £45 respectively - both seem to read as the same book but am a little confused.....
 
Amazon UK

birdboybowley said:
Still a bit confused with Amazon and the book - seem to have them up for £23.21 and £42.75 with RRP of £30.95 and £45 respectively - both seem to read as the same book but am a little confused.....
Click to expand...
Yes Ads, I was too! I should've mentioned that in my last post – as ever, Amazon can be a minefield.

I suspect that the £23.21 version ('not yet released') might be an error – it has a different ISBN to the 'real' £42.75 version (unless it's a forthcoming softback edition, despite the description?):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightjars-P...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279011302&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightjars-W...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278969258&sr=1-3

Anyway, given the indeterminate 'delay obtaining stock' for the cheaper offer, I eventually gave up and cancelled my order, and instead ordered one of the 'via Amazon' options (£36.95 incl delivery from Speedy Hen, although I see that the cheaper (non-existent?) version is now being offered via Amazon for £33.70 incl delivery from Eagle Books)...

Richard :smoke:
 
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The difference appears to be that the publisher is different. That in the upper link (the cheaper and delayed version) is by Princeton whereas the other is by WildGuides.

Richard Klim said:
Yes Ads, I was too! I should've mentioned that in my last post – as ever, Amazon can be a minefield.

I suspect that the £23.21 version ('not yet released') might be an error – it has a different ISBN to the 'real' £42.75 version (unless it's a forthcoming softback edition, despite the description?):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightjars-P...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278969258&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightjars-W...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278969258&sr=1-3

Anyway, given the indeterminate 'delay obtaining stock' for the cheaper offer, I eventually gave up and cancelled my order, and instead ordered one of the 'via Amazon' options (£36.95 incl delivery from Speedy Hen, although I see that the cheaper (non-existent?) version is now being offered via Amazon for £33.70 incl delivery from Eagle Books)...

Richard :smoke:
Click to expand...
 
Princeton

peterginsburg said:
The difference appears to be that the publisher is different. That in the upper link (the cheaper and delayed version) is by Princeton whereas the other is by WildGuides.
Click to expand...
OK, thanks Peter – I should've thought of that.

Although Amazon UK states that WildGuides is the publisher of both, the ISBN of the cheaper offer is indeed the PUP version (RRP $45):
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9288.html

It amazes me that it's usually much cheaper to buy a Princeton import rather than the UK-published version – I've done so with several A&C Black/Princeton titles in the past. But the publishers' RRPs say it all: $45 vs £45.

Richard
 
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Subspecies

A few changes in subspecific taxonomy in Cleere 2010 cf Cleere & Nurney 1998...

  • Chordeiles rupestris: monotypic (xyostictus no longer recognised)
  • Chordeiles gundlachii: monotypic (vicinus no longer recognised)
  • Siphonorhis brewsteri: newly described ssp gonavensis (Garrido 2003, Gonâve I), but "differences seem weak"
  • Nyctiphrynus mcleodii: monotypic (rayi no longer recognised)
  • Antrostomus longirostris: newly described sspp mochaensis (Cleere 2006, C Chile), pedrolimai (Grantsau 2008, NE Brazil)
  • Hydropsalis climacocerca: intercedens synomymised with pallidior
  • Caprimulgus asiaticus: monotypic (eidos, siamensis no longer recognised)
  • Caprimulgus madagascariensis: monotypic (aldabrensis no longer recognised)
  • Caprimulgus nubicus: jonesi synonymised with torridus
  • Nyctibius jamaicensis: lambi synonymised with mexicanus
  • Nyctibius griseus: cornutus synomymised with nominate; panamensis replaces 'costaricensis' (race of N jamaicensis)
Also, Nyctiprogne leucopyga latifascia "may prove to be a full species".

Richard
 
I just had another look at Barrowclough et al, 2006. The RAG-1 exon in the avian order Caprimulgiformes: Phylogeny, heterozygosity, and base composition. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41, 238–248.

According to this article, the American "Caprimulgus" nightjars are in two widely separate clades – with carolinensis and vociferus closest to Phalaenoptilus (in a North/Central American clade) and longirostris, maculicaudus and parvulus closest to (or better merged with?) Hydropsalis (in a South American clade).

Therefore, treating them all as Antrostomus would not be a good idea...
 
Antrostomus

Xenospiza said:
I just had another look at Barrowclough et al, 2006. The RAG-1 exon in the avian order Caprimulgiformes: Phylogeny, heterozygosity, and base composition. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41, 238–248.
According to this article, the American "Caprimulgus" nightjars are in two widely separate clades – with carolinensis and vociferus closest to Phalaenoptilus (in a North/Central American clade) and longirostris, maculicaudus and parvulus closest to (or better merged with?) Hydropsalis (in a South American clade).
Therefore, treating them all as Antrostomus would not be a good idea...
Click to expand...
Re genus Antrostomus...

Cleere comments: "Barrowclough et al. (2006) and Larsen et al. (2006) are followed in this book, with the New World nightjars being recognised as separate from Old World species. The following taxa are therefore transferred from Caprimulgus to Antrostomus pending further studies, but there are almost certainly unrecognised genera..."

And the species accounts note that Antrostomus longirostris, roraimae, decussatus, cayennensis, maculicaudus, parvulus, heterurus, anthonyi, maculosus, nigrescens, whitelyi and hirundinaceus "are placed as species incertae sedis pending further study".

[As Guy suggested, it must have been frustrating to have committed to the publication of a work on the Caprimulgiformes during a period of such intense activity on the systematics of these birds (also Braun & Huddleston 2009, Mayr 2009, Sigurdsson & Cracraft 2009, Han et al 2010).]

Richard
 
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Antrostomus heterurus Todd's Nightjar in Brazil

Hi,

Cleere 2010 cites Antrostomus heterurus for Brazil?

thanks
Cadu Agne

Richard Klim said:
Further to Guy's post, I've undertaken a quick review of the taxonomic changes in Cleere 2010 (Nightjars of the World) cf Cleere & Nurney 1998 (Nightjars), with an indication of those implemented by the major updated world checklists...

Generic reassignments:

  • Eurostopodus temminckii to Lyncornis
  • Eurostopodus macrotis to Lyncornis
  • Chordeiles vielliardi to Nyctiprogne [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Uropsalis spp to Macropsalis
  • Caprimulgus binotatus to Veles [IOC]
  • Caprimulgus candicans to Eleothreptus [BLI]
  • Caprimulgus (other New World spp) to Antrostomus
Split/generic reassignment:

  • Rigidipenna inexpectata Solomons Frogmouth from Podargus ocellatus [IOC, BLI, Clements]
Splits:

  • Eurostopodus nigripennis Solomons Nightjar from E mystacalis
  • Eurostopodus exul New Caledonian Nightjar from E mystacalis
  • Antrostomus arizonae Mexican Whip-poor-will (incl setosus, oaxaca, chiapensis, vermiculatus) from A vociferus
  • Antrostomus roraimae Tepui Nightjar from A longirostris
  • Antrostomus decussatus Tschudi's Nightjar from A longirostris
  • Antrostomus heterurus Todd's Nightjar from A parvulus [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Caprimulgus jotaka Grey Nightjar (incl hazarae) from C indicus [IOC]
  • Caprimulgus phalaena Palau Nightjar from C indicus
  • Caprimulgus andamanicus Andaman Nightjar from C macrurus [IOC, Clements]
  • Batrachostomus continentalis Indochinese Frogmouth from B javensis
  • Batrachostomus affinis Blyth's Frogmouth from B javensis [BLI]
  • Batrachostomus chaseni Palawan Frogmouth from B javensis
  • Aegotheles tatei Spangled Owlet-nightjar from A insignis [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Aegotheles affinis Salvadori's Owlet Nightjar (incl terborghi) from A bennettii
Newly described:

  • Caprimulgus meesi Mees's Nightjar [IOC, BLI, Clements]
Name changes:

  • Hydropsalis brasiliana to H torquata [IOC, BLI, Clements]
  • Macropsalis creagra to M forcipata [IOC, BLI, Clements]
Richard
Click to expand...
 
Nice to see that fourfold split of Batrachostomus javensis. How is it defended? I know B. javensis sensu stricto sounds quite distinct from the rest (right?), but I don't know much about the rest of the complex.
 
Javan Frogmouth splits

Ben Wielstra said:
Nice to see that fourfold split of Batrachostomus javensis. How is it defended? I know B. javensis sensu stricto sounds quite distinct from the rest (right?), but I don't know much about the rest of the complex.
Click to expand...
All three splits cite differences in morphology, range and vocalisations.

Vocalisations:

  • javensis: mournful, slightly screeched whistles that rise slightly in pitch.
  • continentalis: descending whistles, similar to chaseni, but shorter.
  • affinis: warbled, evenly-pitched trills; also gives crow-like "caw"s.
  • chaseni: long, descending whistles; also whistles that rise, descend, then rise again in pitch.
Richard
 
Richard Klim said:
No – restricted to N/C Venezuela, and marginally in N Colombia and W Guyana.

Richard
Click to expand...



Richard,

It's worth noting (as I will do in a review of Cleere in BBOC) that the range of heterurus in Guyana is wrongly depicted in Nigel's book---the only records from the latter country are from the northern Rupununi savana region (see Milensky et al. 2009), which is in the far south of the country, where it has also recently been discovered in the vicinity of the famous Karanambu Ranch. Given records from this region, occurrence in Brazil certainly is possible.

I pointed out many other errors in the range maps for South American nightjars, especially in Brazil, in conversation with Nigel.
 
Thanks Guy and Richard

GMK said:
Richard,

It's worth noting (as I will do in a review of Cleere in BBOC) that the range of heterurus in Guyana is wrongly depicted in Nigel's book---the only records from the latter country are from the northern Rupununi savana region (see Milensky et al. 2009), which is in the far south of the country, where it has also recently been discovered in the vicinity of the famous Karanambu Ranch. Given records from this region, occurrence in Brazil certainly is possible.

I pointed out many other errors in the range maps for South American nightjars, especially in Brazil, in conversation with Nigel.
Click to expand...
 
The continentalis split is an interesting one, I still think there is much work to be done here as that split is largely based on morphometrics in specimens than vocalisations.

I've heard male and females affinis/continentalis on numerous occasions in every south-east Asian country and only heard the males give the 'caww' call and females giving a variety of whistles and the laughing call with little variation and in each country they have responded to all of the vocalisations I have recorded previously from elsewhere (ie, male and females from Vietnam sound the same as the birds half an hour from where I live in Malaysia).

So for now, on my list at least, I keep continentalis within affinis as I am yet to be convinced by this split. Though affinis and chaseni have always been obviously different species to javensis - amazing that they were ever lumped really given that I have never heard any of the 6 calls of javensis in the other taxa.

Nice book with excellent photos!

Cheers,

James
 
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