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Woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptidae)

Elegant Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus elegans) - HBW 8, p. 427

French: Grimpar élégant German: Schmuckbaumsteiger Spanish: Trepatroncos Elegante
Other common names: Hellmayr’s Woodcreeper (insignis); Ihering’s Woodcreeper (juruanus); Ornate Woodcreeper (ornatus, buenavistae)

Taxonomy: Dendrornis elegans Pelzeln, 1868, Engenho do Gama, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Forms a superspecies with X. spixii; regarded as conspecific by some authors, but recent genetic and morphological data support recognition as a full species. Races insignis and juruanus regarded by most authors as races of X. spixii or by some as a full species; however, genetic evidence supports treatment of juruanus at least as a subspecies of X. elegans. Race buenavistae poorly differentiated from ornatus, and juruanus poorly differentiated from insignis, but remaining taxa inhabit large regions of Amazonia, show little.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Dendrornis elegans Pelzeln, 1868, Engenho do Gama, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Forms a superspecies with X. spixii; regarded as conspecific by some authors, but recent genetic and morphological data support recognition as a full species. Races insignis and juruanus regarded by most authors as races of X. spixii or by some as a full species; however, genetic evidence supports treatment of juruanus at least as a subspecies of X. elegans. Race buenavistae poorly differentiated from ornatus, and juruanus poorly differentiated from insignis, but remaining taxa inhabit large regions of Amazonia, show little or no clinal variation and intergrade along narrow zones of contact. Plumage variation further shows a “leap-frog” pattern, with similarly appearing ornatus and nominate separated geographically by phenotypically different juruanus. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • buenavistae J. T. Zimmer, 1948 - E slope of E Andes in SC Colombia (upper R Orinoco drainage in W Meta and Caquetá); unverified (but widely cited) report from upper Magdalena Valley (Huila).
  • ornatus J. T. Zimmer, 1934 - NW Amazonia, N of Amazon, in SE Colombia (E Vaupés, S Amazonas), E Ecuador and NE Peru (N of R Marañón), and immediately adjacent NW Brazil (E to R Iça, possibly farther; specimens allegedly from São Paulo de Olivença, S of Amazon, probably originate from adjacent N bank or a nearby river island).
  • insignis (Hellmayr, 1905) - Andean foothills of EC Peru (S of R Marañón, W of R Ucayali); intergrades with juruanus in valley of R Ucayali.

     See all 5 subspecies
  • buenavistae J. T. Zimmer, 1948 - E slope of E Andes in SC Colombia (upper R Orinoco drainage in W Meta and Caquetá); unverified (but widely cited) report from upper Magdalena Valley (Huila).
  • ornatus J. T. Zimmer, 1934 - NW Amazonia, N of Amazon, in SE Colombia (E Vaupés, S Amazonas), E Ecuador and NE Peru (N of R Marañón), and immediately adjacent NW Brazil (E to R Iça, possibly farther; specimens allegedly from São Paulo de Olivença, S of Amazon, probably originate from adjacent N bank or a nearby river island).
  • insignis (Hellmayr, 1905) - Andean foothills of EC Peru (S of R Marañón, W of R Ucayali); intergrades with juruanus in valley of R Ucayali.
  • juruanus (H. von Ihering, 1905) - SW Amazonia, S of Amazon, in E & SE Peru (E of R Ucayali), W Brazil (E to R Purús and upper R Madeira, S to Acre) and NW Bolivia (Pando, Beni, La Paz); populations between R Purús and R Madeira intermediate with nominate.
  • elegans (Pelzeln, 1868) - S Amazonia, S of Amazon, in Brazil (R Madeira E to R Tapajós and S bank of R Teles Pires, S to SW Mato Grosso) and adjacent E Bolivia (extreme NE Santa Cruz).

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