Anaplectes (1 Viewer)

[rupicola]

Within the Ploceidae family we find the Genus Anaplectes.
3 species are described:
1. A. leuconotos, Northern red-headed Weaver
2. A. rubriceps, Southern Red-headed Weaver
3. A. jubaensis, Red Weaver

All species are listed as 'Least Concern' and therefore populations initionally should be healty.

Searching for more information on this Genus learned that jubaensis is kind of hard to find.
However both species are obviously different most of my attempts to find jubaensis end up in rubriceps.
Images of jubaensis appear to be very scarce and I have not been able to find any 'evidence' photo to prove the species existance.
So I went for the basics:
Anaplectes jubaensis, Red Weaver, was first described in 1920 by Dr. V.G. van Zomeren, Bul.Brit.Ornit.Club, 40,p94.
One specimen was actualy used for describtion while four more specimens were mentioned by van Zomeren.
Distribution: South Somalia and a small coastal part of Kenya.

This is about all I could find on the Red Weaver!
Who knows more about Anaplectes jubaensis or is it's existance based on just this single source?

 

[mb1848]

" is it's existance based on just this single source?" Not sure. In the original description van Someran was aware of five specimens other than the type.
v.38-40=no.227-252 (1917-1920) - Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club - Biodiversity Heritage Library .
Information about the type from Type Species of the AMNH:
Anaplectes jubaensis van Someren 1920 .
Van Someran collected another skin in 1922 in Waregta.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/content/part/EANHS/No. 35_25_1929_van_Someren.pdf .

 

[James Jobling]

Anaplectes jubaensis is treated as a subspecies of Anaplectes rubriceps in Redman, Stevenson and Fanshawe, 2009, Birds of the Horn of Africa, p. 428, where it is illustrated (the range being given as "lowlands in [Southern Somalia], mainly along Jubba river."). In Zimmerman, Turner and Pearson, 1996, Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania, pp. 672-673 (and pl. 109) we find, "Little-known A. r. jubaensis is localized in moist coastal bush from the Somali border at Kiunga south to Kiwayu."

 

[andrew147]

Images of jubaensis appear to be very scarce and I have not been able to find any 'evidence' photo to prove the species existance.

Evidence photo below!

 

[rupicola]

Thank you for your contributions.

The 1922 bird collected by van Zomeren was new to me.
I am still surprised there are none or very few younger records of this species.

"Anaplectes jubaensis is treated as a subspecies of Anaplectes rubriceps"
and for that reason I guess nearly all search results give rubriceps.
also the term 'little known' from 'Birds of Kenya . . . ' fits in my search results.

The photo of a male jubaensis is super, TFS!
Do you by any chance have any information about where and when it was taken?

 

[Mike Earp]

The photo of a male jubaensis is super, TFS!
Do you by any chance have any information about where and when it was taken?

Apparently, the photo shows a male Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps jubaensis in full breeding plumage at Mangai village. See here and here.

 

[THE_FERN]

Fanshawe says the other races hybridise extensively. I wonder if there's evidence this does. It certainly looks different

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

...
This is about all I could find on the Red Weaver!
Who knows more about Anaplectes jubaensis or is it's existance based on just this single source?

For some small notes of the Juba River Scarlet/Red Weaver Anaplectes (melanotis/rubriceps) jubaensis van Someren 1920 see; here (1912, and 1934), or here (in about 1959), and here (or/alt. here, in 1990). And here.

Hopefully of some help/use?

 

[Xenospiza]

Come on people, could anyone try to spell "van Someren" correctly?
Just use copy/paste...

 

[rupicola]

Good to find that at least few more jubaensis apparently were described since 1920.

It is still a mistery to me why this beautiful ‘least concern’ species is so seldom photographed and in literature -if depicted at all- adult breeding males only.

The question is what females and/or juveniles look like?



I know serveral species of Ploceidae do hybrid and I can’t think of any argument why Anaplectes should not.

I don’t expect jubaensis to be a hybrid though, for the melanine in facial masks of leuconotos males most likely would leave traces in their offspring. Also jubaensis shows melanine in wingcoverts where both leuconotos and rubriceps don’t.