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Buntings and New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus) - HBW 16, p. 571

French: Tohi olive German: Olivrückenammer Spanish: Cerquero Oliváceo
Other common names: Schott’s Sparrow; Texas Sparrow (rufivirgatus); Nicoya/Pacific Sparrow (“Pacific group”); Yucatan Sparrow (“Yucatan group”)

Taxonomy: Embernagra rufivirgata Lawrence, 1851, Brownsville, Texas, USA.
Relationships of genus not well understood; molecular evidence suggests that it is close to Rhynchospiza, Peucaea and some Ammodramus. This species sometimes considered to form a superspecies with A. tocuyensis. Races form three groups, “rufivirgatus group” (rufivirgatus, ridgwayi and crassirostris), brighter-plumaged “Yucatan group” (verticalis and rhyptothorax), and even brighter and shorter-tailed “Pacific group” (superciliosus, sinaloae, sumichrasti and chiapensis); these sometimes.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Embernagra rufivirgata Lawrence, 1851, Brownsville, Texas, USA.
Relationships of genus not well understood; molecular evidence suggests that it is close to Rhynchospiza, Peucaea and some Ammodramus. This species sometimes considered to form a superspecies with A. tocuyensis. Races form three groups, “rufivirgatus group” (rufivirgatus, ridgwayi and crassirostris), brighter-plumaged “Yucatan group” (verticalis and rhyptothorax), and even brighter and shorter-tailed “Pacific group” (superciliosus, sinaloae, sumichrasti and chiapensis); these sometimes considered to represent three separate species, but further study needed. Race ridgwayi weakly differentiated, and possibly an intergrade between nominate and crassirostris; verticalis intergrades with crassirostris in E Tabasco and Campeche and with rhyptothorax in C Yucatán. Nine subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • sinaloae Nelson, 1899 - W Mexico from C Sinaloa S to Nayarit.
  • sumichrasti (Sharpe, 1888) - W coast of Mexico from Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán and Guerrero S to Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca).
  • rufivirgatus (Lawrence, 1851) - extreme S USA (S Texas) and NE Mexico from NE Coahuila (San Juan de Sabinas) and Nuevo León S to S coastal Tamaulipas.

     See all 9 subspecies
  • sinaloae Nelson, 1899 - W Mexico from C Sinaloa S to Nayarit.
  • sumichrasti (Sharpe, 1888) - W coast of Mexico from Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán and Guerrero S to Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca).
  • rufivirgatus (Lawrence, 1851) - extreme S USA (S Texas) and NE Mexico from NE Coahuila (San Juan de Sabinas) and Nuevo León S to S coastal Tamaulipas.
  • ridgwayi (Sutton & Burleigh, 1941) - S interior of Tamaulipas, E San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo and N Veracruz.
  • crassirostris (Ridgway, 1878) - Atlantic coast of SE Mexico from C & S Veracruz S to E Puebla and N Oaxaca and E Tabasco.
  • verticalis (Ridgway, 1878) - E Tabasco and Yucatán Peninsula (SE Mexico) S to N Guatemala (Petén) and N Belize.
  • rhyptothorax Parkes, 1974 - N Yucatán Peninsula.
  • chiapensis Nelson, 1904 - C valley of Chiapas, in S Mexico.
  • superciliosus (Salvin, 1865) - Pacific coast of Costa Rica from Nicaragua border S to Santo Domingo.
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