Andean tapaculos of the genus Scytalopus (Aves, Rhinocryptidae): a study of speciation using DNA sequence data

Abstract

Tapaculos of the genus Scytalopus are secretive birds which tunnel like mice through dense understory of humid forest in the Andes, Central America and SE Brazil. Their agoraphobic habits make Scytalopus species highly sensitive to habitat discontinuities, so they are well suited for analyzing diversification patterns in montane forest biota. DNA sequence data support that allopatric and parapatric populations with different songs represent different species. The high degree of phylogenetic resolution obtained by DNA-data permits a better description of geographical patterns of endemism. The commonly observed biogeographic pattern, where related species have long linear distributions along the Andes in different altitudinal zones, probably arose by divergence in disjunct isolates rather than by parapatric divergence. -from Authors