The Bahia tapaculo ( Eleoscytalopus psychopompus) is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is Endemism to lowland Atlantic forest in Bahia, Brazil.[Krabbe, N., T. S. Schulenberg, P. F. D. Boesman, and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Bahia Tapaculo ( Eleoscytalopus psychopompus
]
retrieved April 27, 2021
Taxonomy and systematics
The Bahia tapaculo and the white-breasted tapaculo (
Eleoscytalopus indigoticus) were formerly placed in the genus
Scytalopus, but these two species are now known to be more closely related to the
(genus
Merulaxis). The Bahia tapaculo has also been proposed as a race of the white-breasted tapaculo, but genetic data refute that.
[Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 19 January 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 19, 2021][Maurício, N. M, Matta, H., Bornschein, M. R., Cadena, C. D., Alvarenga, H., & Bonatto, S. L. (2008). Hidden generic diversity in Neotropical birds: Molecular and anatomical data support a new genus for the "Scytalopus" indigoticus species-group (Aves: Rhinocryptidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 49(1): 125–135]
Description
Until the 1990s the Bahia tapaculo was known from only three specimens. Surveys targeting it have resulted in sight, photographic, and audio records since then. Based on the specimens, the white-breasted tapaculo is long. One male weighed and one female. The adult's upper parts are blue-gray and its rump reddish brown. The throat, chest, and belly are white and the flanks and vent area are chestnut without the barring that the very similar white-breasted tapaculo has.[
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Distribution and habitat
The Bahia tapaculo is known from only a few municipalities in eastern Brazil's Bahia state. It inhabits the understory of mature lowland forest at up to elevation, staying in dense cover near small streams.[
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Behavior
Nothing is known about the Bahia tapaculo's diet or feeding habits. The only data related to breeding is that a male and female collected in October 1983 had active gonads. The song is a trill up to four seconds long that increases in volume after the first one or two seconds.[
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Status
The IUCN has assessed the Bahia tapaculo as Endangered. Until recently, it was feared extinct, but has since been rediscovered and is now known from the municipalities of Igrapiúna, Una, Ilhéus, Maraú, Taperoá, and Valença. It remains highly threatened by habitat loss.[
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External links
