The striking polyphyly of Suiriri: Convergent evolution and social mimicry in two cryptic Neotropical birds |
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Authors: | Leonardo Esteves Lopes Marla Mendes de Aquino Luís Fábio Silveira Fabrício Rodrigues dos Santos |
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Affiliation: | 1. Laboratório de Biologia Animal, IBF, Universidade Federal de Vi?osa ‐ Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, BrazilThese authors contributed equally to the paper.;2. Laboratório de Biologia Animal, IBF, Universidade Federal de Vi?osa ‐ Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil;3. Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de S?o Paulo, S?o Paulo, S?o Paulo, Brazil;4. Departamento de Biologia Geral, ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
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Abstract: | Two species of Suiriri (Aves: Tyrannidae) inhabit semi‐open habitats in South America: the polytypic Suiriri Flycatcher (S. suiriri) and the monotypic Chapada Flycatcher (S. affinis). The phylogenetic relationship between these congeneric species has never been investigated in detail. Here we used molecular tools—three nuclear introns and two mitochondrial genes—to investigate the systematic position of the Chapada Flycatcher, comparing the results found with morphological and behavioral data. We found that the polytypic Suiriri Flycatcher to be monophyletic and that it is included in a clade of Elaeniini flycatchers including Phyllomyias, Phaeomyias, and Capsiempis among other genera. The Chapada Flycatcher, on the other hand, is a member of the Fluvicolini, sister to Sublegatus, and should be allocated on its own monospecific genus, which we herein describe. We suggest that social mimicry is responsible for the remarkable convergence in size, shape, plumage coloration, and behavior in the adults of the Suiriri Flycatcher and the Chapada Flycatcher. |
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Keywords: | Cerrado molecular systematics
Sublegatus
Suiriri islerorum
taxonomy Tyrannidae |
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