Tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae)

Chestnut-throated Huet-huet (Pteroptochos castaneus) - HBW 8, p. 765

French: Tourco à gorge marron German: Braunkehl-Bürzelstelzer Spanish: Huet-huet Gorgicastaño

Taxonomy: Pteroptochus castaneus R. A. Philippi [Krumwiede] and Landbeck, 1864, Hacienda de la Puerta, 5000 feet [c. 1500 m], Colchagua, Chile.
Forms a superspecies with P. tarnii, and formerly considered conspecific. The two are geographically separated in W Argentina (Neuquén) by a distance of over 200 km. Recent studies have shown, however, that, contrary to earlier beliefs, the upper R Bío Bío does not represent an effective dispersal barrier, suggesting that the two have been in contact several times during fluctuating climatic conditions; furthermore, they differ significantly in voice, and comparison of mtDNA (albeit based on small sample sizes) indicates genetic isolation for over 3 million years. Monotypic.

Distribution: C Chile, from Colchagua S to R Bío Bío (at headwaters, only N of R Laja), and immediately adjacent Argentina (W Neuquén).