Abstract
We here describe a new subspecies of the white-rumped shama Copsychus malabaricus from the western islands of the Thai Malay Peninsula. The new subspecies is mitogenomically distinct from other members of the complex. Morphologically, its tail is longer and the black breast in males is much less extensive than in males of all other taxa. The discovery of a new shama in a relatively well-explored part of Southeast Asia brings to light a gap in our taxonomic understanding of tropical Asian birds, which continue to be understudied. The new Langkawi shama is the subject of extensive specialized poaching efforts, and its survival may be at risk, calling for immediate conservation action.
Zusammenfassung
Eine markante neue Unterart der Weißbürzel-Schama Copsychus malabaricus, die unmittelbar vom Aussterben bedroht ist
Wir beschreiben hier eine neue Unterart der Weißbürzel-Schama Copsychus malabaricus von der Inselkette westlich der Thai-Malayischen Halbinsel. Die neue Unterart unterscheidet sich grundlegend von anderen Mitgliedern des Artkomplexes in ihrem mitochondrialen Genom. Morphologisch ist ihr Schwanz länger, und die schwarze Brust des Männchens ist viel weniger ausgedehnt als bei den Männchen aller anderen Taxa. Die Entdeckung einer neuen Schama in einem relativ gründlich erschlossenen Gebiet Südostasiens entblößt eine Lücke in unserem taxonomischen Verständnis der Vögel des tropischen Asiens, die nach wie vor wenig erforscht sind. Die neue Langkawi-Schama ist das Ziel umfangreicher, spezialisierter Wilderei und ist daher direkt vom Aussterben bedroht. Sofortige Schutzmaßnahmen sind dringend erforderlich.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are indebted to Ng Chin Wei and Mel Ivan Blake for the crucial first impetus to pursue the taxonomic distinctness of insular shama populations west of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. We would like to thank Kelvin Lim from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore, for access to the historic specimens and collection for measurements. We would also like to thank Paul Sweet from the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and Jérôme Fuchs at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, for granting precious loans of DNA of historic and tissue specimens. We thank the Indonesian government’s research and science agencies and ministries (LIPI and RISTEK) for granting permits for sample collection on the West Sumatran islands, and NParks Singapore for permission to collect blood of Singaporean birds. We would also like to thank Keita Sin and Movin S/O Nyanasengeran for their support and help in specimen inspection. We acknowledge funding from a Tier 2 grant issued by the Ministry of Education of the Singapore government (WBS R-154-000-C41-112).
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Wu, M.Y., Rheindt, F.E. A distinct new subspecies of the white-rumped shama Copsychus malabaricus at imminent risk of extinction. J Ornithol 163, 659–669 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-01977-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-01977-2