Fantails (Rhipiduridae)

Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) - HBW 11, p. 231

French: Rhipidure dryade German: Arafurafächerschwanz Spanish: Abanico de Arafura
Other common names: Wood Fantail

Taxonomy: Rhipidura dryas Gould, 1843, Port Essington, north coast of Australia.
Forms a superspecies with R. rufifrons and R. semirubra, and all three often considered conspecific; present species differs in morphology (longer tail more strongly graduated) and plumage (narrower rufous patches at tail base, extensive white tips on outer rectrices covering 20-36% of feather length); all three forms are part of a larger species group that also includes R. teysmanni, R. superflua, R. dedemi, R. opistherythra, R. lepida, R. rufidorsa, R. dahli, R. matthiae and R. malaitae. Present species comprises three population clusters, the “squamata group” (also including henrici, which sometimes merged with squamata) in S Moluccas and W Papuan Is, the “elegantula group” (with reichenowi and hamadryas) in E Lesser Sundas, and the “nominate group” (including streptophora, semicollaris, sumbensis, celebensis and mimosae) in S New Guinea, C Lesser Sundas and Australia; has been suggested that these may represent three separate species. Eleven subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

celebensis Büttikofer, 1892 - Tanahjampea and Kalao, in Bonerate Is.
mimosae Meise, 1929 - Kalaotoa (E of Kalao).
semicollaris Statius Muller, 1843 - Lesser Sundas (Flores, Alor, Wetar, Sawu, Roti, Timor).

See all 11 subspecies

celebensis Büttikofer, 1892 - Tanahjampea and Kalao, in Bonerate Is.
mimosae Meise, 1929 - Kalaotoa (E of Kalao).
semicollaris Statius Muller, 1843 - Lesser Sundas (Flores, Alor, Wetar, Sawu, Roti, Timor).
sumbensis E. J. O. Hartert, 1896 - Sumba, in S Lesser Sundas.
squamata Statius Muller, 1843 - W Papuan Is (Waigeo, Salawati, Schildpad, Misool) and Banda Is.
henrici E. J. O. Hartert, 1918 - S Moluccas (Seram Laut, Manggur group, Kur, Taam), Kai Is (Kai Kecil) and Aru Is (Babi).
elegantula Sharpe, 1879 - E Lesser Sundas (Romang, Damar, Leti, Moa).
reichenowi Finsch, 1901 - Babar, in extreme E Lesser Sundas.
hamadryas P. L. Sclater, 1883 - Tanimbar Archipelago.
streptophora Ogilvie-Grant, 1911 - R Mimika, in W New Guinea.
dryas Gould, 1843 - N Australia from Collier Bay E, including Melville I, Truant I and Groote Eylandt, to E coast of Gulf of Carpentaria.