Systematics of the reed-warblers of the Tuamotu Archipelago, eastern Polynesia
Alice Cibois A D , Jean-Claude Thibault B , Philippe Raust C and Eric Pasquet B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Natural History Museum of Geneva, Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology, CP 6434, 1211 Geneva 6, Switzerland.
B Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département Systématique et Evolution, UMR7205 Origine, Structure et Evolution de la Biodiversité, 55 rue Buffon, and Service de Systématique Moléculaire, UMS2700-CNRS, 43 rue Cuvier, F-75005 Paris, France.
C Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie, B.P. 7023, 98719 Taravao, Tahiti.
D Corresponding author. Email: alice.cibois@ville-ge.ch
Emu 111(2) 139-147 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU10039
Submitted: 26 May 2010 Accepted: 4 October 2010 Published: 25 May 2011
Abstract
The Tuamotu Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus atyphus) is a small insectivorous passerine endemic to eastern Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. To complement a previous study of the phylogeography of this species based on molecular data, we undertook an analysis based on morphological characters taken from study skins and live birds and propose a new classification for the Tuamotu Reed-Warbler. Three of the six subspecies previously recognised, eremus, palmarum and niauensis, can be diagnosed by both morphological and genetic characters and all are found on uplifted coral islands with a peculiar geomorphology (a shallow or absent lagoon) and elevations higher than average for Tuamotu atolls. Conversely, morphological and molecular analyses suggest that all low-lying atoll populations should be merged into a single taxon, atyphus. Finally, we suggest priorities for conservation for this endemic bird. This study provides an evaluation of the morphological variation of a terrestrial bird across the largest chain of atolls in the world.
Additional keywords: Acrocephalidae, Acrocephalus atyphus, atolls, morphological characters.
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