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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 108(3)

Morphological, behavioural and genetic differentiation within the Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus) and its affinities to Cyanoramphus and Prosopeia

Wee-Ming Boon A H , Olivier Robinet B , Nicolas Rawlence A F , Vincent Bretagnolle C , Janette A. Norman D G , Les Christidis E G and Geoffrey K. Chambers A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute for Molecular Systematics, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.

B Province des Iles Loyauté, BP 50 Wé Lifou, 98820, New Caledonia.

C CEBC-CNRS, 79360, Beauvoir sur Niort, France.

D Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666E, Melbourne, Vic. 3001, Australia.

E Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.

F Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Earth and Environmental Science, Darling Building, University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

G Department of Genetics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia.

H Corresponding author. Email: malherbi2@yahoo.com.au

Emu 108(3) 251-260 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU07030
Submitted: 3 May 2007  Accepted: 11 April 2008   Published: 2 September 2008

Abstract

We revise the taxonomy of the two parakeet taxa in the psittaciform genus Eunymphicus – E. cornutus cornutus (Horned Parakeet) and E. c. uvaeensis (Ouvéa Parakeet) – which are restricted to New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, in the south-western Pacific, and we investigate their relationship with the genera Cyanoramphus, considered traditionally as its closest related genus, and Prosopeia. We used three sets of characters to assess the level of differentiation between the Eunymphicus taxa: behaviour (vocalisations), morphology (biometrics and plumage coloration) and genetic (mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequence variation, 924 nucleotides). The analysis of vocalisations revealed significant differences, as did morphological analyses (size and number of feathers of the crest, size of the bill, and colour pattern of the head). Genetic distance between the Horned and Ouvéa Parakeets is similar to that recorded between closely related species of Cyanoramphus and both taxa possess novel and diagnostic synapomorphic substitutions. From these genetic, behavioural and morphological data, the two Eunymphicus taxa should be considered separate species, a suggestion that is supported by ecological data as well as anecdotal data on hybridisation from captive birds. Our molecular data also support the traditional view that Cyanoramphus is the closest relative of Eunymphicus, with Prosopeia a sister group to this clade. The consistency with which Platycercus clusters next to the Cyanoramphus–Eunymphicus–Prosopeia grouping suggests that Platycercus may well be the next closest relative of this clade.


Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Simeon Baoutuo, Maurice Saoumoe and Pierre Primot from the Loyalty Island Province, Christophe Lambert (Parc Forestier, South Province) and Serge Sirgouant (SCO) for helping to collect blood samples and vocalisation of Eunymphicus in New Caledonia. We would also like to thank Elizabeth McAvoy and Lesley Milicich (both IMS) for advice and technical support in the laboratory; Jonathan Charles Kearvell (New Zealand Department of Conservation) for Cyanoramphus sample collection; Dr Robert Prys-Jones (Curator of birds, British Museum of Natural History, Tring, UK) and Dr Christian Erard (Curator of birds, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, at Paris) for allowing access to skins. This project was supported by Loyalty Island Province of New Caledonia, New Zealand Department of Conservation, and Victoria University of Wellington.


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