A Great Difference Between Sedentary Subspecies of Laniarius atroflavus Shelley, 1887 Suggests on the Base of Molecular Data that Laniarius atroflavus and Laniarius craterum are Two Separate Species

Abstract

Laniarius atroflavus is a sedentary member of the bush-shrike radiation (family Malaconotidae) and in our first paper, it appeared with strong divergence between its two subspecies. To confirm this divergence and leaning partially on our first obtained results, we investigated a genetic variation of the individuals of Laniarius atroflavus atroflavus (West Africa) and Laniarius atroflavus craterum (West Africa). For the genetic variation, we use two mitochondrial genes (ATPase6 and ND2) to calculate their genetic distances within the Laniarius ingroup and to explore their mutational dif- ferentiation. With our ATPase6 and ND2, a genetic distance of 1.66% and 2.14% has been respectively estimated between individuals of Laniarius atroflavus atroflavus (Cameroon Mountain) and Laniarius atroflavus craterum (Manenguba Mountain) whereas it was, for the same markers, of 0% and 0.57% respectively between specimens of Laniarius atrofla- vus craterum only caught in diverse parts of the Manenguba Mountain. For the mutational differentiation, a total of 34 dif- ferent molecular characters have been observed with the two markers investigated between these two subspecies. Leaning on some dating results, it appears that Laniarius atroflavus atroflavus diverged from Laniarius atroflavus craterum during the Quaternary period and these dates correspond remarkably with those suggested for several polyphased volcanic activi- ties noted in the Cameroon Volcanic Line. For these separate sedentary birds which are marked by their clinal size varia- tion, measures of their wings as well as the variation of the color of their breast and belly, a possible secondary contact will certainly lead to reinforcement. Thus, we suggest resurrecting names Laniarius atroflavus Shelley, 1887 and Lan- iarius craterum Bates, 1926 for individuals of the populations hitherto referred as Laniarius atroflavus atroflavus and Laniarius atroflavus craterum respectively.