The Subantarctic Rayadito (Aphrastura subantarctica), a new bird species on the southernmost islands of the Americas Page: 1
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- The Subantarctic Rayadito
(Aphrastura subantarctica), a new
bird species on the southernmost
islands of the Americas
Ricardo Rozzil'21, Claudio S. Quilodrn1,3E, Esteban Botero-Delgadillo45,
Constanza Napolitano1'6'7, Juan C. Torres-Mural'8, Omar Barroso1, Ramiro D. Crego9,
Camila Bravo', Silvina Ippi10, Ver6nica Quiricill, Roy Mackenzie1, Cristien G. Suazo1' ,
Juan Rivero-de-Aguilarl, Bernard Goffinet1,13, Bart Kempenaers4, Elie Poulin1'-5'14 &
Rodrigo A. V squezl's
We describe a new taxon of terrestrial bird of the genus Aphrastura (rayaditos) inhabiting the
Diego Ramirez Archipelago, the southernmost point of the American continent. This archipelago is
geographically isolated and lacks terrestrial mammalian predators as well as woody plants, providing
a contrasted habitat to the forests inhabited by the other two Aphrastura spp. Individuals of Diego
Ramirez differ morphologically from Aphrastura spinicauda, the taxonomic group they were originally
attributed to, by their larger beaks, longer tarsi, shorter tails, and larger body mass. These birds
move at shorter distances from ground level, and instead of nesting in cavities in trees, they breed in
cavities in the ground, reflecting different life-histories. Both taxa are genetically differentiated based
on mitochondrial and autosomal markers, with no evidence of current gene flow. Although further
research is required to define how far divergence has proceeded along the speciation continuum,
we propose A. subantarctica as a new taxonomic unit, given its unique morphological, genetic, and
behavioral attributes in a non-forested habitat. The discovery of this endemic passerine highlights
the need to monitor and conserve this still-pristine archipelago devoid of exotic species, which is now
protected by the recently created Diego Ramirez Islands-Drake Passage Marine Park.
The genus Aphrastura (Passeriformes: Furnariidae) is endemic to southwestern South America and includes
two allopatric species: the Thorn-tailed Rayadito (A. spinicauda) that inhabits the temperate forest biome of
South America1, and the Masafuera Rayadito (A. masafuerae) whose distribution is limited to the misty tree
fern forests of the oceanic Alejandro Selkirk Island2'3. This island has an area of only 85 km2 and is part of the
Juan Fernandez Archipelago, separated from the continent by 670 km. Unlike A. masafuerae, A. spinicauda
has a broad distribution along the entire latitudinal range of the South American temperate forests' biome4. It
inhabits deciduous and evergreen forest types ranging from north-central Chile to the extreme south of Chile
'Cape Horn International Center (CHIC), Parque Etnobotanico Omora, Universidad de Magallanes, Puerto Williams,
Chile. 2Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, Department of Philosophy and Religion and Department
of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA. 3Department of Biology, University of Fribourg,
Fribourg, Switzerland. 4Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for
Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany. 5Departamento de Ciencias Ecologicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad
de Chile, Santiago, Chile. 6Departamento de Ciencias Biol6gicas y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Los Lagos,
Osorno, Chile. 71nstituto de Ecologia y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile. 8AvesChile (Uni6n de Ornit6logos de Chile),
Santiago, Chile. 9Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center,
1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA. 'Departamento de Zoologia, CRUB Universidad Nacional del
Comahue-CONICET, Bariloche, Argentina. "Centro de Investigaci6n Para la Sustentabilidad, Facultad de Ciencias
de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile. 12Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus
Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany. 13Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University
of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA. 14Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic
Ecosystems (BASE), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Remail: ricardo.rozzi@unt.edu;
claudio.quilodran@unifr.chhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17985-4
natureportfolio
Scientific Reports (2022) 12:13957
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Rozzi, Ricardo, 1960-; Quilodrán, Claudio S.; Botero-Delgadillo, Esteban; Napolitano, Constanza; Torres-Mura, Juan C.; Barroso, Omar et al. The Subantarctic Rayadito (Aphrastura subantarctica), a new bird species on the southernmost islands of the Americas, article, August 26, 2022; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2178792/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT College of Science.