Scytalopus speluncae Ménétriés, 1835

Raposo, Marcos A., Stopiglia, Renata, Loskot, Vladimir & Kirwan, Guy M., 2006, The correct use of the name Scytalopus speluncae (Ménétriés, 1835), and the description of a new species of Brazilian tapaculo (Aves: Passeriformes: Rhinocryptidae), Zootaxa 1271, pp. 37-56 : 49-52

Scytalopus speluncae Ménétriés, 1835

Diagnosis: Adult male easily diagnosed from Scytalopus notorius by its paler ventral gray color (84 to 85, rather than 83), Pale Neutral Gray (86) to whitish abdomen (belly), rather than Dark Neutral Gray (83) of S. notorius , and by the buff­fringed black feathers of the flanks, thighs, vent and upper tail coverts. It differs from S. iraiensis by its Dark Neutral Gray color (83), unlike the blackish upperparts of the latter species, which is only known from wetland habitats, and again by the buff­fringed black feathers of the flanks, thighs, vent and upper tail coverts. Morphological diagnosis in relation to S. novacapitalis and S. pachecoi is very difficult. The two topotypes of S. speluncae are paler than most specimens of S. pachecoi and slightly darker then the holotype and paratypes of S. novacapitalis . All three species have buff­fringed black feathers in flanks, thighs, vent and upper tail coverts, but S. novacapitalis has more whitish on the abdomen, and S. pachecoi , in general, has a pale gray abdomen.

Description of the holotype ( Figs. 2 – 5 ): Adult specimen (ZISP 145251) with auriculars, throat and upper breast close to Medium Neutral Gray (84) but with a pale brown tint. Upperparts close to Dark Grayish Brown (20) or Vandyke Brown (121). It should be mentioned that the holotype is almost 180 years old, and thus the original color of the upper and under parts may have acquired a somewhat brownish tone (foxing). Most of the feathers of the abdomen, flanks, crural feathers and under tail coverts are damaged and have lost their structure and color, but there are still small remnants of Clay Color (123B) on one feather of the left thigh, and on three feathers on the right flank (ilia); upper tail coverts Clay Color fringed black.

Description of the topotypes: Adult male (MNRJ 44019, Figs. 7 – 10 ); collected at São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, at the right bank of Rio das Mortes (21o04’16.8’’S, 44o20’19.4’’W) in September 2005. Mandible blackish with gray tomia; crown, occiput, nape, greater primary coverts, and mantle Dark Neutral Gray (83); rump, upper secondary coverts, and dorsal surface of rectrices Dark Brownish Olive (129); upper tail coverts Buff to Clay Color (124 – 123B) with transverse black marks; lores Light Neutral Gray (85) with small black spots at the tips of the feathers; auriculars, throat, upper breast, secondary and under primary coverts Light Neutral Gray (85); wrist coverts (tectrices propatagi ventrales) and abdomen whitish, bordered distally with Pale Neutral Gray (86); abdomen, flanks, crural feathers and under tail coverts Clay Color with transverse black marks, tarsus and digits Olive­Yellow (52). Exposed culmen, 10.0 mm; tail, 40.0 mm; wing (chord), 48.9 mm; mass, 16.5g.

Adult female (MNRJ 44018, Fig. 2 ); collected at São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, in September 2005. Mandible blackish with gray tomia; forehead Dark Neutral Gray; occiput, nape and mantle; upper secondary coverts and greater primary coverts Dark Brownish Olive with varying degrees of black at their distal end; dorsal surface of rectrices Dark Brownish Olive; rump and upper tail coverts Clay Color with transverse black marks; lores Light Neutral Gray with small black marks at the tips of the feathers; auriculars, throat, upper breast light neutral gray; secondary under coverts, primary under coverts and wrist coverts (tectrices propatagi ventrales) Buff (124) with narrow black marks; abdomen whitish, distally bordered Pale Neutral Gray; flanks, crural feathers, crissum and under tail coverts Clay Color with transverse black marks; tarsus and digits Olive­Yellow (52). Exposed culmen, 10.7 mm; tail, 40.0 mm; wing (chord), 44.3 mm; mass, 13.5 g.

Geographic variation: The four specimens analyzed by us from the northern end of the Espinhaço Range, in the Chapada Diamantina ( Fig. 1 ), are somewhat different from the topotypes. These specimens lack the whitish ventral area and could be confused with S. pachecoi ( Maurício 2005) from Misiones ( Argentina), or Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina ( Brazil). The upperparts of these specimens are Dark Neutral Gray (83) and the underparts Medium Neutral Gray (84), with buff­marked black feathers on the thighs, flanks, and crissum.

Morphometry: See Table 1 .

Vocalizations: The song phrases are variable in their duration and, like those of S. notorius , consist of regular repetitions of the same notes ( Fig. 14 ). However, the mean time between notes is 0.38 seconds. Thus the bird typically sings just 2.5 notes per second. Each note is very brief, lasting on average just 0.03 seconds, and descending in overall frequency ( Fig. 15 ), whereas the fundamental frequency varies between 1.8 and 2.0 kHz, and the dominant frequency between 3.5 and 4.1 kHz. Like S. notorius , the alarm­call consists of a single monosyllabic note which lasts a mean of 0.07 seconds, with a fundamental frequency of 3.5 kHz and a dominant frequency of 5.7 kHz ( Fig. 16 ). The song of S. speluncae is easily distinguished from that of S. notorius by its pace, which is approximately half that of S. notorius (2.5 notes per second vs. 5.0 notes per second), whilst the modulation describes an ascent, then descent in S. notorius but solely descends in S. speluncae . On the other hand, the song of S. speluncae is indistinguishable from that of S. pachecoi by pace, as S. pachecoi delivers 2.7 notes per second ( Maurício 2005:13) and S. speluncae 2.5 notes per second, and both descend in frequency. The call of S. speluncae is also identical to the call described by Maurício (2005) for S. pachecoi . In relation to S. novacapitalis (based on Vielliard 1990 and Maurício 2005) both S. notorius and S. speluncae possess distinctive characters, as the song of S. novacapitalis consists on average of just 1.1 notes per second, which is considerably fewer than either S. notorius or S. speluncae , whereas the duration of each note lasts on average 0.1 seconds, as opposed to either S. speluncae or S. notorius , which never exceeded 0.05 seconds in any sample analyzed.

Type locality: São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, is the type locality by original designation.

Bill length (mm) Wing length (mm) Tail length (mm) Geographic range: Known thus far only from the opposite ends of the Espinhaço range at São João del Rei, Minas Gerais, in the south, and Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, in the north ( Fig. 17 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Comparison between two specimens of Scytalopus. Left: the slate gray Mouse­colored Tapaculo, specimen from Nova Friburgo, in the Serra do Mar range. Right: a specimen belonging to the lighter form from Chapada Diamantina, in the Espinhaço Range.

FIGURE 17. Map showing the distribution of the Scytalopus speluncae species­group (based on the specimens examined in this study).

FIGURES 2 – 5. Holotype of Scytalopus speluncae (ZISP 145251): 2, dorsal view; 3, lateral view; 4, ventral view; 5, uropygium showing buff­barred black feathers.

FIGURES 7 – 9. From left to right in each figure (all males): paratype of Scytalopus iraiensis; holotype of S. notorius, new species; topotype of S. speluncae; and holotype of S. novacapitalis; 7, ventral view; 8, lateral view; 9, dorsal view.

FIGURE 10. Lateral view of females: holotype of Scytalopus iraiensis; topotype of S. speluncae; paratype of S. notorius.

FIGURES 14 – 16. Spectrograms of the vocalizations of Scytalopus speluncae (São João del Rei, Vitor Torga). 14, complete song; 15, five elements of the same song of Scytalopus speluncae in a different scale; 16, call.