Morphological, vocal and genetic divergence in the Cettia acanthizoides complex (Aves: Cettiidae)

• We used morphological, vocal and molecular (one mitochondrial and two nuclear loci) data to re-evaluate the taxonomic status of the taxa acanthizoides, concolor, and brunnescens in the Cettia acanthizoides (J. Verreaux, 1871) complex. We conclude that all three are valid taxa, and that acanthizoides of China and concolor of Taiwan are best treated as conspecific, whereas brunnescens of the Himalayas is better considered as a separate species. The degree of morphological, vocal, and genetic differentiation is variably congruent among all taxa; the recently separated acanthizoides and concolor differ slightly in plumage and structure but are indistinguishable in vocalizations, whereas the earlier diverged brunnescens and acanthizoides/concolor differ only slightly more in morphology but to a much greater degree in vocalizations. We stress the essential nature of taxonomic revisions as a prerequisite for the biodiversity estimates required for conservation planning.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Zoologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Zoology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biologisk systematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biological Systematics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

cytochrome b

evolution

glyceraldehyde-3-phosphodehydrogenase (G3PDH) intron 11

myoglobin intron 2

phylogeny

taxonomy

cytochrome b

Biology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)