Speciation in the Ground-Thrush complex Zoothera dauma in Australia

Abstract

In Australia, the Zoothera dauma complex is composed of three distinct forms: cuneata in humid highlands of north-eastern Queensland, heinei in north-eastern, coastal-central and south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, and lunulata in south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. In the region of the Queensland-New South Wales border, heinei and lunulata are extensively sympatric but multivariate morphometric analyses reveal no interbreeding between them though a couple of specimens seem intermediate in coloration. On the bases of coloration and size, the affinities of lunulata are with cuneata, and those of heinei with papuensis of New Guinea. The dove-tailed pattern of distribution in these two groups, here accorded species rank, has parallels with other species groups in Australo-Papua.