Orange-breasted forest robin

Last updated

Orange-breasted forest robin
Forest robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax) Ankasa.jpg
Ankasa Forest Reserve, Ghana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Stiphrornis
Species:
S. erythrothorax
Binomial name
Stiphrornis erythrothorax
Hartlaub, 1855

The orange-breasted forest robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax) is a species of bird mainly found throughout the African tropical rainforest. It has a total length of around 12 cm (4+3⁄4 in), has dark upperparts, and a throat and chest that, depending on the subspecies, is yellow-orange or deep orange. [2]

Contents

Description

It has a total length of around 12 cm (4+3⁄4 in), has dark upperparts, and a throat and chest that, depending on the exact subspecies, is yellow-orange or deep orange. [2]

Taxonomy

The orange-breasted forest robin was formally described in 1855 by the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub under the current binomial name Stiphrornis erythrothorax. The specimen had been collected by the Dutch zoologist and colonial administrator Hendrik Severinus Pel at Dabocrom, Ghana. [a] [4] [5] The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek ερυθρος/eruthros meaning "red" with θωραξ/thōrax meaning "breastplate". [6]

The initial split into multiple species within this genus is based on a review from 1999 where it, based on the phylogenetic species concept, was argued that all then recognized taxa should be considered monotypic species. [7] Of these, S. gabonensis and S. xanthogaster were formerly considered subspecies of S. erythrothorax, whereas S. sanghensis was described as an entirely new species. [7] The split was not followed in Handbook of the Birds of the World, where it was described as "perhaps premature". [2] Comparably, the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group (and consequently IUCN) recommended not following the split, as differences in plumages are relatively small, genetic sampling considered incomplete, and evidence for intergradation or parapatry is lacking. [1] Another species from this complex, S. pyrrholaemus, was described as a new species in 2008. Based on mtDNA, it is placed within S. erythrothorax sensu lato , and consequently is only a species (rather than a subspecies of S. erythrothorax) if at least some of the taxonomy recommended in 1999 is followed. [8] The genetic divergence between S. pyrrholaemus and other members of the genus is comparable to that between some other closely related species. [8]

Three additional taxa in the forest robin complex were described (as species) in 2016: Stiphrornis (erythrothorax) dahomeyensis (Dahomey forest robin), S. (e.) inexpectatus (Ghana forest robin), and S. (e.) rudderi (Rudder's forest robin). These three taxa are nested within S. erythrothorax sensu lato; however, using the phylogenetic species concept, the study recommended the treatment of all eight forest robin taxa as distinct species. [3]

Clements recognizes three species. the olive-backed forest robin, Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus, the orange-breasted forest robin, Stiphrornis erythrothorax, and the yellow-breasted forest robin, Stiphrornis mabirae.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognised: [9]

Notes

  1. ↑ The type locality, "Dabocrom", is believed to have been near the Ghanese coast between Abidjan and Accra at 4°51′N1°56′W / 4.850°N 1.933°W . [3]

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Stiphrornis erythrothorax". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T103763077A132191967. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103763077A132191967.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Collar, N.J. (2005). "Forest Robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax)" . In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 730–731. ISBN   978-84-87334-72-6.
  3. 1 2 Voelker, G.; Tobler, M.; Prestridge, H. L.; Duijm, E.; Groenenberg, D.; Hutchinson, M. R.; Martin, A. D.; Nieman, A.; Roselaar, C. S.; Huntley, J. W. (2016). "Three new species of Stiphrornis (Aves: Muscicapidae) from the Afro-tropics, with a molecular phylogenetic assessment of the genus". Systematics and Biodiversity. 15 (2): 87–104. doi:10.1080/14772000.2016.1226978. S2CID   89146340.
  4. ↑ Hartlaub, Gustav (1855). "Beschreibung einiger neuen, von Herrn H. S. Pel, holländischem Residenten an der Goldküste, daselbst gesammelten Vögelarten". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 3 (17): 353–361 [355]. Bibcode:1855JOrn....3..353H. doi:10.1007/BF02009690.
  5. ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, eds. (1964). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 34–35.
  6. ↑ Jobling, James A. "erythrothorax". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  7. 1 2 Beresford, P.; Cracraft, J. (1999). "Speciation in African forest robins (Stiphrornis): species limits, phylogenetic relationships, and molecular biogeography". American Museum Novitates (3270): 1–22. hdl:2246/3048.
  8. 1 2 Schmidt, B.; Foster, J.; Angehr, G.; Durrant, K.; Fleischer, R. (2008). "A new species of African Forest Robin from Gabon (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae: Stiphrornis)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1850: 27–42. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.1850.1.2 .
  9. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.