Polyphyly of campylorhamphus, and description of a new genus for C. pucherani (Dendrocolaptinae)

Santiago Claramunt, Louisiana State University
Elizabeth P. Derryberry, Louisiana State University
R. Terry Chesser, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Alexandre Aleixo, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi
Robb T. Brumfield, Louisiana State University

Abstract

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships of Campylorhamphus pucherani using DNA sequences from three mitochondrial genes and a nuclear intron, as well as 84 morphological characters from the skeleton, the integument, and the musculature. The molecular phylogeny indicated that C. pucherani is not part of Campylorhamphus; instead, it is the sister species to Drymornis bridgesii, in a clade that also contains Lepidocolaptes. The morphological phylogeny also placed C. pucherani in a clade that contains Drymornis and Lepidocolaptes. Using a morphometric analysis of size and shape diversity, we demonstrated that the inclusion of C. pucherani in Drymornis would create an excessively heterogeneous genus compared with other dendrocolaptine genera. Because no generic name is available for C. pucherani, we describe the new genus Drymotoxeres for this species. © 2010 by The American Ornithologists' Union. All rights reserved.