This abstract was posted today on Birdforum:
Christidis, L., F. E. Rheindt, W. E. Boles & J. A. Norman, 2013. A re-appraisal
of species diversity within the Australian grasswrens Amytornis (Aves:
Maluridae). Austral. Zoologist 36 (4): in press
Abstract: The Australian grasswrens (Amytornis) comprise a genus of cryptically
plumaged species inhabiting the arid regions of southern, western, central, and
northern Australia. Isolated, fragmented populations characterise the
distributional pattern of several species, whereas others appear to show
ecophenotypic clinal variation in plumage patterns. These features have made
the species-level taxonomy of the genus a matter of ongoing debate. We
undertook qualitative considerations of morphological, biogeographical and
ecological features in combination with quantitative DNA distance measures from
published studies, to provide a comprehensive species level revision of
Amytornis. In addition to the ten species recognised by Schodde and Mason
(1999) (housei, textilis, goyderi, purnelli, ballarae, merrotsyi, woodwardi,
dorotheae, striatus, barbatus), we also recognise as species the following:
modestus, rowleyi, oweni and whitei. These fourteen species are placed into
four subg
enera: Amytornis, Magnamytis, Maluropsis and Cryptamytis subgen. nov. The
latter subgenus is erected for A. merrotsyi. The potential impacts that this
new taxonomy will have on the conservation status of the various taxa are
canvassed.
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