Ornithologischer Anzeiger Band 39, Heft 1

Ornithologischer Anzeiger Band 39, Heft 1 (2000)

Abstracts

MARTENS, J & S. ECK: The Seicercus burkii complex in the Himalayas and in China or: Do we estimate the diversity of passerine birds incorrectly?

The warbler Seicercus burkii of southeastern Asia is a composite: in different mountains, excluding vertical parapatry in the same massif, it comprises two (Nepal-Himalayas, Wa Shan), three (Mt. Victoria/Burma) or four (Taibai Shan, Omei Shan) biospecies. Song, calls, body proportions, coloration and the cytochrome-b gene distinguish these taxa/populations, between which no gene flow has yet been detectable (by cyt b). At species level eight taxa can be discriminated, some of which may yet be assigned subspecies relationships: S. burkii s. str., S. whistleri (both Himalayas), S. valentini, S. omeiensis, S. “latouchei” (= S. soror ALSTRÖM & OLSSON), S. distinctus (all in China, some also Burma and N Vietnam), S. (spec.?) nemoralis (NE India, Burma), S. (spec.?) tephrocephalus (Burma). Unless contradictory evidence is discovered, the southeastern edge of the palearctic is evidently not inhabited by S. burkii s. str. as previously thought, but by S. whistleri. In palearctic China, though zoogeographic boundaries are difficult to infer there, S. valentini, S. omeiensis, S. soror and S. distinctus (S. tephrocephalus in ALSTRÖM & OLSSON 1999) have been found. The independent investigation of the Seicercus burkii complex by ALSTRÖM & OLSSON (1999), published simultaneously with the paper of MARTENS et al. (1999), yielded results consistent in principle with the above for this extremely complex material.

SCHUCHMANN, K.-L., WELLER, A.-A. & I. HEYNEN: Biogeography and taxonomy of the Andean hummingbird genus Haplophaedia Simon (Aves: Trochilidae), with the description of a new subspecies from southern Ecuador

Summary: This study analyses the biogeography and taxonomy of the hummingbird taxon Haplophaedia, based on the examination of biometric and plumage characters, and summarizes various life history traits. Currently, the genus Haplophaedia comprises two species, H. aureliae (ssp. aureliae, caucensis, floccus, galindoi, russata, assimilis, affinis) and H. lugens. Based on biogeographical and morphological aspects, we suggest that H. assimilis (ssp. assimilis, affinis) is distinct at species level. Due to significant geographical variation within the range of H. aureliae, we give subspecific recognition to the southernmost, allopatric subpopulation in Ecuador, named as H. aureliae cutucuensis subspec. nov. It is postulated that Haplophaedia evolved prior to the Pleistocene in the “cloud forests” of the northern Andes, subsequently invading similar habitats in the western and central Andes during glacial phases.
Resumen: El presente estudio analiza la biogeografía y taxonomía del género Haplophaedia (Trochilidae), basándose en la examinación de caracteres biométricos y de plumaje, y resume a la par varias características ecológicas de los mencionados colibríes. El género Haplophaedia comprende actualmente dos especies, H. aureliae (ssp. aureliae, caucencis, floccus, galindoi, russata, assimilis, y affinis), y H. lugens. Basándonos en aspectos biogeográficos y morfológicos, sugerimos la recategorización de H. assimilis (ssp. assimilis, affinis), al nivel específico. Debido a la variación geográfica significativa a lo largo del rango de distribución de H. aureliae, le damos reconocimiento subespecífico en el extremo sur de dicho rango, a la subpoblación alopátrica en Ecuador, denominándola H. aureliae cutucuensis subespec. nov. Se postula además que la aparición de Haplophaedia es anterior al Pleistoceno en los “bosques nublados“ de los Andes del norte, invadiendo luego hábitats similares en los Andes centrales y occidentales durante las diferentes épocas de glaciación.

HAFFER, J.: Contact zones between tropical birds and their biogeographical significance.

As in the bird faunas of the Temperate Zones, numerous contact zones exist between species and subspecies of birds in the tropics where the representatives (1) hybridize, (2) exclude each other geographically without hybridization or (3) overlap their ranges narrowly. Examples are given for Amazonia, tropical Africa and New Guinea. It is largely unknown which processes of ecological competition maintain the replacement zones between taxa which do not hybridize. Contact zones represent regions of major biogeographic discontinuity in ecologically rather uniform environments.
Geoscientific data have become known from all tropical regions of the world suggesting that strong climatic-vegetational fluctuations occurred there in the lowlands and mountains during the last 60 million years (Tertiary and Quaternary) leading to the repeated separation and differentiation of bird and other animal populations in ecological 'refugia' during unfavorable climatic phases and their subsequent range expansion and secondary contact when favorable climatic conditions had returned. Reproductively and ecologically isolated taxa were then able to overlap their ranges over extensive areas, where they now occur sympatrically.

HINKELMANN C.: Tropical ornithology and the German speaking countries – anything but an exotic contribution

Ornithology of tropical regions and the German speaking countries of Central Europe appear to have not very much in common. However, history of the ornithology of tropical regions and the progress of knowledge on tropical birds cannot be adecuately considered without the contribution of collectors and researchers from the German speaking countries. As documented, the first men interested in tropical birds travelled to Brazil (Georg Markgraf) and Dutch East India (today: Indonesia; Georg Eberhard Rumpf) in the 17th century. In the 18th century, Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg accompanied James Cook on his second voyage around the world. In later times, German, Austrian and Swiss ornithologists and collectors visited almost all tropical regions, but had particular interests in South and Central America as well as in Africa. This latter continent was visited intensively when imperial Germany established colonies in four major parts of Africa as well as in NE New Guinea and on many islands of SW Pacific. The short overview on the contribution of the German speaking countries to the ornithology of tropical regions is based on the people who collected or investigated tropical birds, from the early beginnings to the 1950ies. Some actual informations on the topic are added as well.