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A striking case of deceptive woodpecker colouration: the threatened Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus belongs in the genus Celeus

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Abstract

The Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus is a threatened species of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern South America. It has traditionally been placed in the genus Dryocopus, but it shows similarities in plumage and structure with woodpeckers in the genus Celeus. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear DNA that was sampled from live captured Helmeted Woodpeckers. We found that the Helmeted Woodpecker has a phylogenetic position embedded within the genus Celeus, and recommend its taxonomic treatment as Celeus galeatus. The Helmeted Woodpecker belongs to a clade within Celeus that includes Kaempfer’s Woodpecker C. obrieni, Rufous-headed Woodpecker C. spectabilis, and Cream-coloured Woodpecker C. flavus. It has the southernmost distribution range of the woodpeckers in this clade. The Helmeted Woodpecker is sympatric throughout its range with Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus and Robust Woodpecker Campephilus robustus and these species from three different genera show a remarkable convergence in plumage colours and patterns. With the inclusion of Helmeted Woodpecker in Celeus, this genus has four out of 15 species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, a higher proportion of red listed species than in the woodpecker family overall.

Zusammenfassung

Ein Fall verblüffend irreführender Spechtfärbung: der bedrohte Wellenohrspecht Dryocopus galeatus ist ein Celeus Der Wellenohrspecht ist eine bedrohte Spechtart der atlantischen Wälder im Südosten Südamerikas. Er wurde traditionellerweise in das Genus Dryocopus eingeordnet, weist aber in Gefieder und Struktur Ähnlichkeiten zur Gattung Celeus auf. Wir sequenzierten mitochondriale und nukleare DNA aus Proben, die lebend gefangenen Individuen entnommen worden waren. Wir fanden heraus, dass der Wellenohrspecht phylogenetisch innerhalb der Gattung Celeus positioniert ist und empfehlen, ihn in dieses Genus zu klassifizieren. Dieser Specht gehört zu einer Stammlinie innerhalb von Celeus, die den Kaempferspecht Celeus obrieni, Zimtkopfspecht C. spectabilis und den Strohspecht C. flavus enthält. Er stellt den südlichsten Vertreter dieser Gruppe dar. Sein Verbreitungsgebiet deckt sich mit jenen des Linienspechts Dryocopus lineatus und des Scharlachkopfspechts Campephilus robustus und diese drei Arten aus verschiedenen Genera weisen eine bemerkenswerte Konvergenz in Gefiederfärbung und -muster auf. Zusammen mit dem Wellenohrspecht beinhaltet die 15 Arten zählende Gattung Celeus vier auf der Roten Liste der IUCN stehende Arten, mehr als der Durchschnitt der Familie.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ministerio de Ecología of Misiones province, Arauco Argentina (formerly Alto Paraná S. A.) and Fundación Bosques Nativos Argentinos for research and collection permits. Cecilia Kopuchian and Pablo Tubaro thank Centro de Investigaciones Antonia Ramos (CIAR) in Oberá, Misiones, for access. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Geographic, and W.C. Hunter supported fieldwork. Grants from CONICET, ANPCyT and IDRC Canada supported laboratory work. Carlos Ferreyra, Juan Klavins, and Natalia García assisted in captures of Helmeted Woodpeckers. Hans Winkler especially acknowledges the generous support provided by the Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CICyTTP-CONICET, Materi y España, 3105, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina

    Martjan Lammertink

  2. Proyecto Selva de Pino Paraná, Vélez Sarsfield y San Jurjo s/n, 3352, San Pedro, Misiones, Argentina

    Martjan Lammertink

  3. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Martjan Lammertink

  4. CECOAL (Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral)-CONICET, Ruta Prov. 5, km 2.5, 3400, Corrientes, Argentina

    Cecilia Kopuchian

  5. División de Ornitología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cecilia Kopuchian & Pablo L. Tubaro

  6. Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, Veterinary University Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1A, 1160, Vienna, Austria

    Hanja B. Brandl & Hans Winkler

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  1. Martjan Lammertink
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  2. Cecilia Kopuchian
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  4. Pablo L. Tubaro
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Correspondence to Martjan Lammertink.

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Lammertink, M., Kopuchian, C., Brandl, H.B. et al. A striking case of deceptive woodpecker colouration: the threatened Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus belongs in the genus Celeus . J Ornithol 157, 109–116 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1254-x

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