Toucans (Ramphastidae)

Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) - HBW 7, p. 251

French: Toucanet émeraude German: Laucharassari Spanish: Tucanete Esmeralda
Other common names: Blue-throated Toucanet (caeruleogularis)

Taxonomy: Pteroglossus prasinus Gould, 1834, Valle Real, Mexico.
Related rather closely to A. sulcatus (especially race calorhynchus), and also, less closely, to A. derbianus. Of the many races, several are sometimes considered to represent separate species, especially wagleri, caeruleogularis, albivitta, phaeolaemus, cyanolaemus and atrogularis; these, however, are all similar vocally, bill pattern varies relatively little, and all interbreed with each other or with other races wherever they meet; also, mosaic evolution evident among white-throated and blue-throated races. Races intergrade widely, notably virescens with nominate. Race cognatus possibly inseparable from caeruleogularis. Of other races proposed, chiapensis (SE Mexico) and stenorhabdus (W Guatemala, N El Salvador) considered synonymous with virescens, probably showing only clinal differences; maxillaris (Costa Rica, W Panama) with caeruleogularis; and petax (W Andes of Colombia) with phaeolaemus. Fourteen subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

wagleri (Sturm, 1841) - SW Mexico (Sierra Madre del Sur, in Guerrero and SW Oaxaca).
prasinus (Gould, 1834) - E Mexico (SE San Luis Potosí to N Oaxaca) S & E to Yucatán, Belize and N Guatemala.
warneri Winker, 2000 - SE Mexico (Sierra de Los Tuxtlas, in S Veracruz).

See all 14 subspecies

wagleri (Sturm, 1841) - SW Mexico (Sierra Madre del Sur, in Guerrero and SW Oaxaca).
prasinus (Gould, 1834) - E Mexico (SE San Luis Potosí to N Oaxaca) S & E to Yucatán, Belize and N Guatemala.
warneri Winker, 2000 - SE Mexico (Sierra de Los Tuxtlas, in S Veracruz).
volcanius Dickey & van Rossem, 1930 - E El Salvador (San Miguel Volcano slopes).
virescens Ridgway, 1912 - SE Mexico (Chiapas) to Honduras and Nicaragua.
caeruleogularis (Gould, 1854) - Costa Rican mountains to W Panama.
cognatus (Nelson, 1912) - C & E Panama S to W Colombia (Chocó).
lautus (Bangs, 1898) - NE Colombia (Santa Marta Mts).
albivitta (Boissonneau, 1840) - W Venezuelan Andes S to Colombia (E slope of C Andes, E Andes) and E Andean slopes of Ecuador.
griseigularis Chapman, 1915 - N part of W Andes and W slope of C Andes of Colombia.
phaeolaemus (Gould, 1874) - W slope of W Andes in W Colombia, N of Patia Canyon.
cyanolaemus (Gould, 1866) - E Andean slope of S Ecuador to N Peru (La Libertad, Amazonas).
atrogularis (Sturm, 1841) - E Andean slope from N Peru to C Bolivia (W Santa Cruz).
dimidiatus (Ridgway, 1886) - hills and lowlands from E Peru to W Brazil (Acre) and N Bolivia (Pando).