A taxonomic review of Picumnus exilis (Aves: Picidae) reveals an underestimation of Piculet species diversity in South America
2014
The Picumnus exilis complex is composed of 6–7 subspecies distributed from eastern Colombia, through Venezuela, the Guianas, to northern and northeastern Brazil. They are characterized by a greenish back, whitish or yellowish belly (barred or tainted with black), and males with a red and/or orange forehead. Here we review the taxonomy of this complex based on morphometric and plumage characters from a total of 487 specimens that were analyzed. Eighteen plumage characters were found, of which 12 proved to be informative. The results suggest the existence of five valid taxa: Picumnus exilis (Lichtenstein 1823), a Brazilian endemic found near the coasts of Bahia and Sergipe States; Picumnus pernambucensis Zimmer (1947) another Brazilian endemic occurring north of the Sao Francisco River in the “Pernambuco” Area of Endemism; Picumnus buffonii Lafresnaye (1845) found in the Guiana Shield, east of the Rio Branco and east of the Rio Tocantins on the southern side of the Amazon River; Picumnus undulatus Hargitt (1889) occurring between the Rio Branco, Rio Negro, and Orinoco Rivers, and Picumnus obsoletus Allen (1892) which ranges from the Orinoco Delta north to far northeastern Venezuela. Furthermore, both P. e. salvini Hargitt (1893) and P. nigropunctatus Zimmer and Phelps (1950) proved to be junior synonyms of Picumnus obsoletus Allen (1892). Similarities between the species considered here and other representatives of this genus strongly suggest that the Picumnus exilis complex could also be related to groups of other complexes. This highlights the need for taxonomic reviews to understand the cryptic diversity within the Picumnus genus.
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