Conservation taxonomy of the Greater Antillean Oriole (Icterus dominicensis): diagnosable plumage variation among allopatric populations supports species status

dc.contributor.authorPrice, Melissa R.
dc.contributor.authorHayes, William K.
dc.date.accessioned2020-03-18T20:43:02Z
dc.date.available2020-03-18T20:43:02Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractAllopatric populations, such as those present on islands, pose special challenges to identifying taxonomic boundaries which can be practically addressed using diagnostic criteria. To assess the taxonomic and, hence, conservation status of the four island populations of the Greater Antillean Oriole (Icterus dominicensis), we examined 156 male specimens of I. dominicensis for six discrete and three continuous plumage characters. The four island populations proved to be 100% diagnosable. Icterus d. northropi differed from all other taxa by having the greatest extent of yellow on the venter (non-overlapping with other taxa). Icterus d. portoricensis was distinguished from all other taxa by the presence of a black upper rump (yellow in other taxa) and the least extent of yellow on the rump (non-overlapping with other taxa). Icterus d. melanopsis and I. d. dominicensis were fully discriminated from I. d. northropi and I. d. portoricensis by the aforementioned characters and from each other by upper-tail covert color (black and ≥ 50% yellow, respectively). Our findings support recent studies suggesting that the four island groups represent distinct allospecies consistent with interpretations of both the phylogenetic and evolutionary species concepts. With elevation to full species, conservation priorities need to be revisited, particularly for the critically endangered Bahamas taxon (I. d. northropi).
dc.format.extent6 pages
dc.identifier.citationPrice, M. R. and W. K. Hayes (2009) Conservation taxonomy of the Greater Antillean Oriole (Icterus dominicensis): diagnosable plumage variation among allopatric populations supports species status. Caribbean Ornithology 22:19–25.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/66567
dc.language.isoen-US
dc.publisherCaribbean Ornithology
dc.subjectconservation taxonomy
dc.subjectGreater Antillean Oriole
dc.subjectIcterus dominicensis
dc.subjectplumage variation
dc.subjectspecies limits
dc.subjectWest Indies
dc.titleConservation taxonomy of the Greater Antillean Oriole (Icterus dominicensis): diagnosable plumage variation among allopatric populations supports species status
dc.typePapers
dc.type.dcmiText
prism.endingpage25
prism.publicationnameCaribbean Ornithology
prism.startingpage19
prism.volume22

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