Order
Caprimulgiformes
Family
Trochilidae
Genus
Leucippus
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Spot-throated Hummingbird Leucippus taczanowskii

Thomas S. Schulenberg and Carolyn W. Sedgwick
Version: 1.0 — Published February 15, 2015

Systematics

Geographic Variation

Leucippus taczanowskii is monotypic. A proposed subspecies, fractus Bangs and Noble 1918, from the Marañon Valley, usually is not recognized (Zimmer 1950).

Subspecies

Related Species

Described as Thaumasius taczanowskii Sclater 1879; type locality Guajungo, Cajamarca, Peru

This species also has been classified in the genera Talaphorus (e.g. Peters 1945), but Zimmer (1950) merged Talaphorus into Leuccippus.

Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data reveals that hummingbirds (Trochilidae) constitute nine major clades, comprising the hermits, mangos, Patagona, topazes, coquettes, brilliants, mountain-gems, bees, and emeralds (McGuire et al. 2009, 2014). Leucippus is a member of the emerald clade; other genera in this radiation include Cynanthus, Chlorostilbon, Cyanophaia, Hylocharis, Campylopterus, Klais, Abeillia, Orthorhynchus, Stephanoxis, Anthocephala, Microchera, Elvira, Goethalsia, Goldmania, Thalurania, Eupherusa, Chalybura, Phaeochroa, Taphrospilus, Eupetomena, Aphantochroa, Trochilus, Amazilia, Lepidopyga, Chrysuronia, Juliamyia, and Chlorestes (McGuire et al. 2009, 2014). Many genera in the emerald clade, including Leucippus, are not monophyletic (McGuire et al. 2009, 2014). Leucippus taczanowskii is sister to Leucippus baeri (Tumbes Hummingbird); these two species belong to a small clade that also includes Taphrospilus hypostictus (Many-spotted Hummingbird), Eupetomena macroura (Swallow-tailed Hummingbird), and Aphantochroa cirrochloris (Sombre Hummingbird) (McGuire et al. 2014). The type species of Leucippus is fallax (Buffy Hummingbird), which belongs to a different clade. Consequently, taczanowskii and baeri will need to be classified in a different genus, perhaps Thaumasius Sclater 1879 (type species Thaumasius taczanowksii = "Leucippus" taczanowskii).

Recommended Citation

Schulenberg, T. S. and C. W. Sedgwick (2015). Spot-throated Hummingbird (Leucippus taczanowskii), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.spthum2.01