Grallaria sinaensis Robbins, Isler, Chesser, & Tobias, 2020

Isler, Morton L., Chesser, Terry, Robbins, Mark B., Cuervo, Andrés M., Cadena, Carlos Daniel & Hosner, Peter A., 2020, Taxonomic evaluation of the Grallaria rufula (Rufous Antpitta) complex (Aves: Passeriformes: Grallariidae) distinguishes sixteen species, Zootaxa 4817 (1), pp. 1-74 : 24-25

Grallaria sinaensis Robbins, Isler, Chesser, & Tobias , new species

Puno Antpitta

Includes population designated cochabambae 1 in the analysis.

Diagnosis. Upperparts dark reddish yellow-brown; underparts paler grading to pale buffy brown on belly and undertail coverts; pale feather edgings and pencil streaks on belly and lower breast; pale eye-ring. Short songs of two unmodulated notes distinguish G. sinaensis ( Fig. 17 ) from all other populations except G. cochabambae and the nominate form of G. occabambae . The shorter internote intervals and second notes of short songs of G. sinaensis differentiate them from those of both G. occabambae and G. cochabambae , and the flat or slightly downslurred shape of notes distinguishes short songs of G. sinaensis from the rounded notes of short songs of G. occabambae . Comparing long songs, the flat or slightly downslurred shape of notes of G. sinaensis differs from the rounded notes of G. occabambae and the sharply downslurred notes of long songs of G. cochabambae . Long songs of G. sinaensis are also distinguished from those of G. cochabambae by their slower pace and by the greater extent that note frequency rises in the terminal half of the song. They differ from long songs of G. occabambae by their falling and rising frequency pattern and by their note duration pattern, in which notes gradually lengthen, become constant in length, and then gradually shorten.

Distribution. Department of Puno, Peru, and extreme western La Paz, Bolivia, 2900–3150 m.

Holotype. CORBIDI AV00982 . Adult male mist-netted and prepared by A. Nyári on 15 October 2009 below Sina , Dpto. Puno, Peru (14° 29’ S, 69° 17’ W, elevation 3100 m); audio recording ML 148119 in same recording as the paratopotype.

Description of holotype. Adult male. Overall plumage of upperparts, including rectrices, remiges (primaries edged paler), crown and auriculars, dark reddish yellow-brown (7.5YR 4/4), shading to color of underparts in malar area; eye ring pale. Throat and breast light reddish yellow-brown (7.5YR 6/8–6/10); belly and undertail coverts pale buffy brown (10YR 7/4); pale feather edgings and pencil streaks of belly extend to lower breast; flanks dark reddish yellow-brown (7.5YR 5/4–5/2). Testes 11 x 5 mm, seminal vesicles enlarged; skull ossified; light fat; 34.2 g; light body molt; no bursa; stomach filled with insects. Soft body parts: irides dark brown; bill black; tarsi bluish-gray.

Measurements of holotype. Bill length 9.6 mm, wing length 80.7 mm, tail length 40.9 mm, tarsus length 40.1 mm.

Paratopotype. KU 115475 (male), tissue number KU 21173 , audio recording ML 148119 in same recording as the holotype (specimen photographs App. 6, Fig. A 31) .

Etymology. The scientific name reflects the name of the type locality, and the English name reflects the Peruvian department in which the type locality is located.

Remarks. Plumage of G. sinaensis differs from that of G. cochabambae by pale feather edgings and pencil streaks of lower underparts extending to breast, whereas breast of G. cochabambae is somewhat darker and more uniform in appearance. The distribution in extreme western La Paz, Bolivia, is based on vocal recordings (XC73602–XC73605) made in 2006 by J. Tobias and N. Seddon, who first noted the vocal distinctiveness of this population on the upper Río Keara, Madidi National Park (69.059 W, 14.690 S, elevation 3000 m). Holotype also cataloged as University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute (KU) 115476, tissue number 21234.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Songs of Grallaria sinaensis: (A) long song, Río Keara, PN Madidi, La Paz, Bolivia (Tobias XC73603); (B) short song, Río Keara, PN Madidi (Tobias XC73602).