A new phylogeny and classification of the tinamous, volant palaeognathous birds from the Neotropics.

Abstract

The Neotropical Tinamidae is the most diverse family of palaeognathous birds (Neornithes; Palaeognathae). This is the only family with species capable of powered flight, in striking contrast to all the other flightless, large-bodied, both living and recently extinct, palaeognaths. Here we report our latest phylogenetic analysis of tinamous, built on previous comprehensive studies, presently including all 46 currently recognized species. Our goal was to apply all the valid available supraspecific names to the clades recovered, creating new ones as needed. We recovered the traditional major subclades, forest-dwelling vs. open-areas tinamous, with all three currently recognized genera in the former matching the chief groupings, and with two taxa in the latter that do not fit the current classification as per the phylogenetic results. Our analysis of the taxonomic history of tinamid taxa revealed complications chiefly owing to the convoluted history of certain key names, particularly Tinamus. We disentangled the perceived misapplication of Tinamus to various tinamid taxa, concluding that Tinamus Hermann, 1783 is valid and not Tinamus Latham, 1790, with type species soui Hermann, 1783, currently placed in Crypturellus. As a consequence, while the phylogenetic signal is clear, a major taxonomic rearrangement is needed in the forest-dwelling tinamous reassigning species of small forest tinamous (currently in Crypturellus) according to priority to Tinamus Hermann, and former invalid Tinamus Latham to Pezus Spix, 1825. In the open-areas tinamous (Tinamotidinae), we recognize two tribes and the phylogeny also indicated the need for a new genus to be applied to cinerascens, formerly in Nothoprocta; and the synonymy of Taoniscus, as the single species nanus was recovered nested in Nothura. We discuss at length our taxonomic proposal against alternatives; this is particularly complicated owing to a long, unresolved taxonomic history.