Full Thread: New Species Discovered
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Old August 7th, 2012 #21
Alex Linder
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Superbird! Researchers find new species of masked, red breasted barbet in the remote cloud forests of the Peruvian Andes

Species Capito fitzpatricki named after Cornell director who discovered new species in the 1970s and 1980s

By Eddie Wrenn

7 August 2012

A colourful, fruit-eating bird with a black mask, pale belly and scarlet breast has been discovered and named following an expedition to the remote Peruvian Andes.

The Sira Barbet, or Capito fitzpatricki, is described by Cornell University graduates in a paper published in the July 2012 issue of The Auk, the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union.

The team discovered the barbet on a ridge of mountainous cloud forest in the Cerros del Sira range in the eastern Andes.



The new species was discovered during a 2008 expedition led by Michael G. Harvey, Glenn Seeholzer and Ben Winger, young ornithologists who had recently graduated from Cornell.

Steep ridges and deep river gorges in the Andes produce many isolated habitats and microclimates that give rise to uniquely evolved species.

Though clearly a sister species of the Scarlet-banded Barbet, the Sira Barbet is readily distinguished by differences in color on the bird's flanks, lower back and thighs, and a wider, darker scarlet breast band.

By comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences of the new barbet to DNA sequences of its close relatives in the genus Capito, the team secured genetic evidence that this is a new species in the barbet family.

The genetic work was done by co-author Jason Weckstein at The Field Museum in Chicago.

The team chose the scientific name, Capito fitzpatricki, in honor of Cornell Lab of Ornithology executive director John W. Fitzpatrick, who discovered and named seven new bird species in Peru during the 1970s and '80s.

Winger said: 'Fitz has inspired generations of young ornithologists in scientific discovery and conservation.

'He was behind us all the way when we presented our plan for this expedition.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ian-Andes.html