Rock Tapaculo | Scytalopus petrophilus
: a new species from Minas Gerais, Brazil
Abstract
We describe a new species of Scytalopus tapaculo from the southern section of the Espinhaço Range and other points in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Scytalopus petrophilus sp. nov., Rock Tapaculo, occupies a variety of habitats between about 900 and 2,100 m elevation, from open, rocky shrub associations (campos rupestres) high in the mountains to taller forest in steep‑walled valleys to second‑growth of semi‑deciduous woodland. Its morphology, vocalizations, and preliminary genetic profile place it solidly within the S. novacapitalis (Brasilia Tapaculo) complex, joining that species, S. pachecoi (Planalto Tapaculo), and the newly described S. diamantinensis (Diamantina Tapaculo). S. petrophilus is phenotypically diagnosed from its allospecies by combinations of morphological and vocal characters.
Keywords: Scytalopus, tapaculo, new species, holotype, type‑locality, nomenclature, synonymy, Espinhaço.
Whitney, B.M., Marcelo, F.V., Silveira, L.F. & Pacheco, J.F. 2010. Scytalopus petrophilus (Rock Tapaculo): a new species from Minas Gerias, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia. 18(2): 73-88.