Hi Mike,
Oweni was at one time used for the western sandplain form of Striated
Grasswren. I don't know it's range limits for certain off the top of my head
but it is the form that occurs in the Great Victoria Desert, abuts whitei in
the west. I *think* closest to striatus
This is what Martin Cake wrote on our blog a while back discussing Striated
Grasswren in WA:
"Nominate striatus
grades very broadly between two forms, a browner south-eastern mallee
form and a rufous (but still white-bellied) central sandplain form
approaching whitei in colour but not size, actually grading
smaller towards the northwest. A large genetic study of grasswrens [8]
found that the rufous inland form of striatus is surprisingly genetically
distinct given the broad ecophenotypic gradient, enough to justify its
reinstatement as subspecies oweni. Rather annoyingly, molecular studies to date
have not included whitei, which for the moment remains a tantalisingly likely
future split."
"[8] Christidis L et al.
(2010). Plumage patterns are good indicators of taxonomic diversity,
but not of phylogenetic affinities, in Australian grasswrens. Amytornis (Aves:
Maluridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 57: 868-877"
Cheers,
John
> From:
> To: ;
> Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:18:43 +1000
> CC:
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] More Grasswren splits
>
> Hi Murray,
>
> Richard and Damien Baxter are currently heading for Grasswren country across
> northern Australia and asked what I knew about 'oweni' one of the four new
> species mentioned in your message. The first mentioned 'modestus' is clearly
> a split from Thick-billed Grasswren and 'rowleyi' and 'whitei' splits from
> Striated Grasswren. Because 'oweni' is placed between the latter two I assume
> it is also a split from that species but split from which ultrataxa and where
> does it occur? I cannot find a mention of 'oweni' in Schodde & Mason's DAB
> nor in HANZAB.
>
> Mike Carter
> 30 Canadian Bay Road
> Mount Eliza VIC 3930
> Tel (03) 9787 7136
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