Tyrant-flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

White-throated Tyrannulet (Mecocerculus leucophrys) - HBW 9, p. 279

French: Tyranneau à gorge blanche German: Weißkehl-Tachurityrann Spanish: Piojito Gargantilla

Taxonomy: M[uscicapa] leucophrys d’Orbigny and Lafresnaye, 1837, Yanacachi, La Paz, Bolivia.
Genus as presently constituted is probably polyphyletic, and in need of further study. Present species not obviously related to any of forms currently treated as congeners. Race pallidior has been suggested as warranting species rank. Species exhibits dramatic “leapfrog” pattern of geographical variation: birds of small size and bearing extremely similar colour patterns occur at N & S ends of range, with much larger and more richly coloured forms in intervening cordilleras. In view of the remarkable differences existing between certain populations that occupy adjacent mountain ridges, several described taxa referring to marginally discernible intermediates are probably better merged with neighbouring forms: montensis (Santa Marta Mts, in Colombia) and palliditergum (Venezuelan coastal mountains from Yaracuy E to Miranda) merged with nigriceps, and gularis (Sierra de Perijá and Mérida Andes, in W Venezuela) with setophagoides. Ten subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

notatus Todd, 1919 - W & C Andes of Colombia (S to Cauca).
setophagoides (Bonaparte, 1845) - E Andes of NW Venezuela (W Zulia and Táchira E to S Lara) and Colombia (Norte de Santander S to Cundinamarca).
nigriceps Chapman, 1899 - mountains of N Colombia (in Santa Marta region) and N Venezuela (Yaracuy E to Sucre and Monagas).

See all 10 subspecies

notatus Todd, 1919 - W & C Andes of Colombia (S to Cauca).
setophagoides (Bonaparte, 1845) - E Andes of NW Venezuela (W Zulia and Táchira E to S Lara) and Colombia (Norte de Santander S to Cundinamarca).
nigriceps Chapman, 1899 - mountains of N Colombia (in Santa Marta region) and N Venezuela (Yaracuy E to Sucre and Monagas).
roraimae Hellmayr, 1921 - tepui zone of Amazonas (except Cerro Parú and Cerro Duida) and Bolívar, in S & SE Venezuela; also adjacent parts of N Brazil and W Guyana.
parui Phelps, Sr & Phelps, Jr, 1950 - Cerro Parú, in NC Amazonas (Venezuela).
chapmani Dickerman, 1985 - Cerro Duida, in C Amazonas (Venezuela).
rufomarginatus (Lawrence, 1869) - Andes of S Colombia (Nariño), Ecuador and NW Peru (Piura).
pallidior Carriker, 1933 - W Andes of Peru (Ancash).
brunneomarginatus Chapman, 1924 - E Andes of Peru (S to Cuzco).
leucophrys (d’Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) - E Andes from S Peru (S from Cuzco and Madre de Dios) S to N Argentina (Salta, Tucumán).