Circumscription of a monophyletic family for the tapaculos (Aves: Rhinocryptidae): in and out

Per G. P. Ericson (1) , Storrs L. Olson (2) , Martin Irestedt (3) , Herculano Alvarenga (4) , Jon Fjeldså (5)

1 Department of Vertebrate Zoology
2 Division of Birds, Department of Vertebrate Zoology
3 Molecular Systematics Laboratorium
4 Museu de História Natural de Taubaté
5 Zoological Museum [Copenhagen]

The tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae) are tracheophone, suboscine birds restricted to South and Central America. Most tapaculos share a number of internal and external characteristics that have been used to define the family taxonomically. The genera and do not fully fit this pattern and have caused considerable dispute among taxonomists since they were first described. In this paper we delimit the systematic boundaries of the tapaculos and assess their generic relationships by analysis of molecular sequence data. The results show that whereas is nested well within the Rhinocryptidae, falls far outside that clade. A new family is erected for

Mots clés: Rhinocryptidae; Tapaculos; Molecular systematics; Taxonomy; South America

Per G. P. Ericson, Storrs L. Olson, Martin Irestedt, Herculano Alvarenga, Jon Fjeldså. Circumscription of a monophyletic family for the tapaculos (Aves: Rhinocryptidae): in and out. Journal für Ornithologie = Journal of Ornithology, 2009, 151 (2), pp.337-345. ⟨10.1007/s10336-009-0460-9⟩. ⟨hal-00568355⟩