Character variation in the Oporornis philadelphia-tolmiei complex.
Item
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Title
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Character variation in the Oporornis philadelphia-tolmiei complex.
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Identifier
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AAI8821112
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identifier
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8821112
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Creator
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Pitocchelli, Jay.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Wesley Lanyon
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Date
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1988
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, Zoology
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Abstract
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Oporornis philadelphia and O. tolmiei have been recognized as separate species since their first descriptions by Baird (1858). However, Chapman (1917) and Phillips (1947) questioned the specific status of these taxa. Later authors (Mayr and Short 1970, Hall 1979, Kowalski 1983) pointed to (1) the strong morphological and behavioral resemblance between these taxa, (2) the possibility of hybridization in central Alberta, and (3) overlap in plumage characters and external measurements, as evidence that these taxa may not be distinct species.;I analyzed differences between these taxa for morphological and song characters from freshly collected specimens and accompanying tape recordings from the breeding ranges. I performed song playback experiments to test whether males could discriminate between O. philadelphia and O. tolmiei song types in allopatry and near the contact zones.;Most specimens can be separated using the traditional plumage characters described by Baird (1858). But, some extreme O. philadelphia specimens possess tolmiei - like characters. However, the larger overall size and smaller tail length of O. philadelphia separate most of these problem birds. Results of multivariate analyses of mensural characters revealed that these taxa are separate in multivariate space for external and skeletal characters.;O. tolmiei males sang higher frequency songs than O. philadelphia males. Frequency variables were the best discriminators of O. philadelphia and O. tolmiei OTU's in multivariate space.;Differences in primary song and morphometric variation between these taxa indicate that they are separate species. I recommend that they be treated as such, however there is no justification for the recognition of subspecies within O. tolmiei as recommended by Phillips (1947).
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
