Mitochondrial DNA corroborates the species distinctiveness of the Planalto (Thamnophilus pelzelni Hellmayr, 1924) and the Sooretama (T. ambiguus Swainson, 1825) Slaty-antshrikes (Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)

Abstract

The Thamnophilus punctatus complex has been recently reviewed on the basis of morphological and vocal characters, and is divided in six different species. Two of the new species, although well defined on the basis of morphological differences, could not be unambiguously distinguished through their loud songs. The Planalto Slaty-antshrike (Thamnophilus pelzelni) and the Sooretama Slaty-antshrike (T. ambiguus) are most easily distinguished by subtle and localized changes in plumage colors of males and females. In the present study we used sequences of the control region, Cytochrome b, and ND2 genes, of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to evaluate the levels of molecular differentiation between these two species. The mean pairwise distance between the two species was 3.8%, while it varied from 2.7% to 4.9% for each mtDNA region. Although extensive variation was also detected among haplotypes within species, especially for T. ambiguus, we suggest that the genetic divergence found between T. ambiguus and T. pelzelni is high enough to corroborate the separate species status of these two antbird taxa.

Predictors of intraspecific morphological variability in a tropical hotspot: comparing the influence of random and non‐random factors

“…). This river has also been correlated with genetic structure in Thamnophilus passerines (Lacerda et al ., ) and Gymnodactylus lizards (Pellegrino et al ., ). Yet, other Atlantic forest rivers which have been associated with intraspecific genetic structuring – including the Doce River (Pellegrino et al ., ; Brunes et al ., ; Thomé et al ., ) – do not seem to be associated with breaks in the distribution of mitochondrial lineages in the case of A. cursor .…”

Molecular taxonomy of Brazilian tyrant‐flycatchers (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae)

“…Therefore, we believe that it can be a valuable auxiliary tool for taxonomic inventories and for identifying cryptic species in this group. Our current COI analysis in a limited number of species and other phylogeographical studies from our group (Lacerda et al . 2007; unpublished data) suggest the existence of large amounts of genetic diversity in presently recognized bird species in the Neotropics, which may be indicative of the existence of cryptic species.…”

New molecular evidence supports the species status of Kaempfer's Woodpecker (Aves, Picidae)

“…The analyses were complemented by sequences obtained from GenBank, belonging to the four species analyzed here, together with C. elegans (Webb and Moore, 2005; Benz and Robbins, 2011), which was used as the outgroup for the phylogenetic analyses. No evidence was found that the mitochondrial segments analyzed here may have been nuclear copies (NUMTs) of the mitochondrial genome, based on standard analytical criteria (Lacerda et al , 2007; Rêgo et al , 2010). …”

“…The use of molecular techniques is fundamental to the analysis of the taxonomic status of most uncertain forms (Silveira and Olmos, 2007; Lacerda et al , 2007), although this approach is limited by the need for an adequate supply of biological material from which DNA can be isolated. Celeus obrieni presents a good example of the importance of this approach, given that the existence of a single specimen, deposited at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1926, was used for the confirmation of the species status of this form in relation to C. spectabilis (Benz and Robbins, 2011).…”