TY - JOUR
AU - Bloomer,, Paulette
AB - Abstract The Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda curvirostris) is a geographically variable species. Thirteen subspecies have been described, and at least three phenotypically well-defined groups exist. We use concordant patterns of genotypic and phenotypic variation to recognize cryptic species within this complex. Genotype information was obtained by sequencing part of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome-b gene. Three taxa are genetically highly distinct, differing from each other by 6 to 9% sequence divergence. One of these taxa comprises three phenotypically distinct taxa that differ from each other by 2% sequence divergence. These values far exceed the variation within described subspecies (0.2 to 0.4%) and approach the distance to the presumed sister taxon, the Short-clawed Lark (C. chuana; 8 to 10%). Well-defined morphological and plumage differences exist between all taxa except benguelensis and northern populations of subcoronata. We propose that the complex consists of five species: the closely related C. curvirostris, C. brevirostris, and C. semitorquata, and the more distantly related C. subcoronata and C. benguelensis. Comparison of male display songs provides additional support for the recognition of five species, but sample sizes are small. The position of C. chuana relative to the five species noted above is not resolved. Species' ranges are allopatric, but more work is needed to elucidate the distributional limits of taxa in northern Namibia and Angola. These findings have implications for biodiversity conservation, and they suggest that considerable diversity has been overlooked in wide-ranging, sedentary lark species. This content is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 1999 by American Ornithological Society Inc. All rights reserved.
TI - The Long-Billed Lark Complex: A Species Mosaic in Southwestern Africa
JF - Auk: Ornithological Advances
DO - 10.2307/4089466
DA - 1999-01-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/the-long-billed-lark-complex-a-species-mosaic-in-southwestern-africa-L5H07bQueO
SP - 194
VL - 116
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -