Selenidera

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Selenidera
Pteroglossus piperivorus.jpg
Guianan toucanets (Selenidera piperivora). Female above, male below.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Ramphastidae
Genus: Selenidera
Gould, 1837
Type species
Pteroglossus gouldii
Natterer, 1837
Species

6, see text

Selenidera is a bird genus containing six species of dichromatic toucanets in the toucan family Ramphastidae. They are found in lowland rainforest (below 1,500 metres or 4,900 feet) in tropical South America with one species in Central America.

Contents

All the species have green upper-parts, red undertail-coverts and a patch of bare blue or blue-green skin around the eye. Unlike most other toucans, the sexes are different in colour (sexually dichromatic; hence the name dichromatic toucanets). The males all have a black crown, nape, throat and breast and an orange/yellow auricular streak. The females of most species have the black sections in the male replaced by rich brown and a reduced/absent auricular streak, while the female of one species, the Guianan toucanet, has grey underparts and a rufous nuchal collar, and the female of another, the yellow-eared toucanet, resemble the male except for its brown crown and lack of an auricular streak. The calls are low-pitched and croaking. Most species are relatively small toucans with a total length of 30–35 cm (12–14 in), but the yellow-eared toucanet typically has a total length of approx. 38 cm (15 in).

They tend to forage alone or in pairs, feeding mainly on fruit. They are fairly quiet and elusive birds which generally keep to dense cover. The nest is a cavity in a tree which the birds enlarge by excavating with their bills. The white eggs are incubated by both parents.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Selenidera has six species considered to belong to the genus: [1]

Species

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Yellow-eared Toucanet.jpg Selenidera spectabilis Yellow-eared toucanet Central America
Guianan Toucanet -Dallas World Aquarium-male-8a.jpg Selenidera piperivora Guianan toucanet North-western Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela
Golden-collared Toucanet.jpg Selenidera reinwardtii Golden-collared toucanet Western Amazon rainforest in South America
Selenidera nattereri Tawny-tufted toucanet Amazon Basin of Venezuela, Brazil, eastern Colombia and western Guyana
Selenidera gouldii - Gould's toucanet (male).jpg Selenidera gouldii Gould's toucanet South-eastern part of the Amazon rainforest, with a disjunct population in Serra de Baturité in the Brazilian state of Ceará
Aracari-poca.jpg Selenidera maculirostris Spot-billed toucanet Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, and far north-eastern Argentina

Speciation in Selenidera

Distribution of six species of Selenidera as of 1969. "S. maculirostris" corresponds to the population today recognized as S. gouldii, with "true" S. maculirostris (not included on this map) being found in the Atlantic Forest of eastern South America. Selenidera.png
Distribution of six species of Selenidera as of 1969. "S. maculirostris" corresponds to the population today recognized as S. gouldii, with "true" S. maculirostris (not included on this map) being found in the Atlantic Forest of eastern South America.

The genus Selenidera was used by the German biologist Jürgen Haffer as an example of the "refugia" hypothesis of speciation. He suggested that the different species evolved from one common ancestor whose population was fragmented by the retreat of the rainforest into the wettest areas during periods of dry climate in the Pleistocene epoch. The single species developed into several species in these isolated refugia. When the forest expanded again during a wetter period, the ranges of the different species expanded until they came into contact with each other, forming a complementary pattern of distributions.

The refugial hypothesis is somewhat disputed as there is little field data to support or reject it. In any case it is simply one of several competing hypotheses to explain Amazonian biodiversity, each of which may or may not provide a good explanation for the geographical pattern found in any one group of taxa. In the present case, the refugia hypothesis is probably correct, as the Amazonian Selenidera have distributions centered on major river systems; they might be considered a superspecies. Some other birds from the region, in contrast, have sister species that are separated by the major rivers, which thus apparently acted as natural barriers to gene flow. Whether a refugia or a barrier model describes superspecies distribution in the Amazonian basin most appropriately thus seems to be a direct consequence of the animals' ability to cross major waterways. But even in the Selenidera toucanets which, though largely sedentary, are technically able to disperse widely, the Amazon River forms a barrier that was simply too wide to cross in significant numbers as to inhibit speciation.

Related Research Articles

Allopatric speciation – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from each other to an extent that prevents or interferes with gene flow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugium (population biology)</span>

In biology, a refugium is a location which supports an isolated or relict population of a once more widespread species. This isolation (allopatry) can be due to climatic changes, geography, or human activities such as deforestation and overhunting.

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The emerald toucanet is a species of near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found from Mexico to Nicaragua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated toucanet</span> Species of bird

The blue-throated toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama and far northwestern Colombia.

<i>Ramphastos</i> Genus of birds

The Ramphastos genus, also known as toucans, is a genus of brightly colored, tropical birds that are found throughout Central and South America from Southern Mexico to the southern cone of the South American continent. Toucans are typically characterized by their large, colorful bills, which are used for a variety of functions such as thermoregulation, feeding, and social signaling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aracari</span> Genus of birds

An aracari or araçari is any of the medium-sized toucans that, together with the saffron toucanet, make up the genus Pteroglossus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green toucanet</span> Genus of birds

Green toucanets are near-passerine birds from the genus Aulacorhynchus in the toucan family. They are native to Mexico, and Central and South America. All are found in humid forests and woodlands in highlands, but a few also occur in adjacent lowlands. They are relatively small toucans, 30–44 centimetres (12–17 in) long, with colorful, mainly green, plumage. They are typically seen in pairs or small groups, and sometimes follow mixed species flocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saffron toucanet</span> Species of bird

The saffron toucanet is a species of bird in the family Ramphastidae found in the Atlantic Forest in far north-eastern Argentina, south-eastern Brazil, and eastern Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guianan toucanet</span> Species of bird

The Guianan toucanet, or Guyana toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gould's toucanet</span> Species of bird

Gould's toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spot-billed toucanet</span> Species of bird

The spot-billed toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tawny-tufted toucanet</span> Species of bird

The tawny-tufted toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and possible Guyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-collared toucanet</span> Species of bird

The golden-collared toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-eared toucanet</span> Species of bird

The yellow-eared toucanet is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found from Honduras to Ecuador.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toucan</span> Family of birds

Toucans are Neotropical members of the near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and over 40 different species.

Jürgen Haffer was a German ornithologist, biogeographer, and geologist. He is most remembered for his theory of Amazonian forest refugia during the Pleistocene that would have contributed to speciation and the diversification of the biota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River barrier hypothesis</span> Hypothesis seeking to partially explain the high species diversity in the Amazon Basin

The river barrier hypothesis is a hypothesis seeking to partially explain the high species diversity in the Amazon Basin, first presented by Alfred Russel Wallace in his 1852 paper On Monkeys of the Amazon. It argues that the formation and movement of the Amazon and some of its tributaries presented a significant enough barrier to movement for wildlife populations to precipitate allopatric speciation. Facing different selection pressures and genetic drift, the divided populations diverged into separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagler's toucanet</span> Species of bird

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References

  1. "Jacamars, puffbirds, toucans, barbets & honeyguides « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2017-02-20.