A new genus for the tiny hawk Accipiter superciliosus and semicollared hawk A. collaris (Aves: Accipitridae), with comments on the generic name for the crested goshawk A. trivirgatus and Sulawesi goshawk A. griseiceps
Author
Sangster, George
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2475-7468
Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P. O. Box 50007, SE- 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden & Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, PO Box 9517, NL- 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands
Author
Kirwan, Guy M.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6876-9452
Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Tring, Herts, HP 23 6 AP, UK & Setor de Ornitologia, Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional / UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista s / n, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940 - 040, Brazil
guymkirwan@gmail.com
Author
Fuchs, Jerome
Institut de Systematique, Evolution, Biodiversite (ISYEB), Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, CP 51, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
Author
Dickinson, Edward C.
Flat 19, Marlborough Court, Southfields Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN 21 1 BT, UK
Author
Elliott, Andy
c / o Lynx Edicions, Montseny 8, E- 08193 Bellaterra, Catalunya, Spain
Author
Gregory, Steven M. S.
35 Monarch Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN 2 6 EH, UK
text
Vertebrate Zoology
2021
2021-08-02
71
419
424
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/vz.71.e67501
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/vz.71.e67501
2625-8498-71-419
D4D591FDBAD644EE90376746849C9F37
8DB2044DF93255A1A6A96A98F8AF4598
Microspizias
gen. nov.
Type species.
Falco superciliosus
Linnaeus, 1766 (currently
Accipiter superciliosus
).
Included species.
Microspizias superciliosus
(Linnaeus, 1766),
new combination
, and
M. collaris
(P. L. Sclater, 1860),
new combination
.
Diagnosis.
Microspizias
differs from all species of
Accipiter
by a combination of (i) small size (total length <30 cm), (ii) white vent barred grey (in adult
M. collaris
) or chocolate-brown (in adult
M. superciliosus
), and (iii) juveniles dimorphic, rufous morph with distinct rufous fringes to feathers of upperparts (
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001
). In addition,
Olson (2006)
noted that in
M. superciliosus
the procoracoid process has a very distinct foramen. This foramen is invariably absent in
Accipiter
(
Olson 1987
).
Olson (2006)
further pointed out that the configuration of the skull, sternum and pelvis of
M. superciliosus
are very different from
Accipiter
, and that the hind-limb bones of
M. superciliosus
are much more robust than the extremely gracile elements of
Accipiter
.
Microspizias
differs from
Kaupifalco monogrammicus
by (i) absence of black and white throat stripes (black central throat stripe bordered on each side by a white stripe in
Kaupifalco
), (ii) absence of a solid grey breast-band (present in
Kaupifalco
), (iii) presence of three grey tail bands (one white band in
Kaupifalco
), and (iv) yellow cere, tibia and toes (orange in
Kaupifalco
) (
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001
).
Microspizias
differs from
Melierax
in (i) much smaller size (total length <30 cm;>42 cm in
Melierax
), (ii) much shorter legs (tarsus <50 mm;>81 mm in
Melierax
), and (iii) juveniles dimorphic, rufous morph with rufous feather fringes on upperparts (monomorphic, with brown upperparts in
Melierax
) (
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001
).
Microspizias
differs from
Micronisus gabar
in (i) shorter tail (males <117 mm;>150 mm in
Micronisus
), (ii) tail square-ended or notched (rounded in
Micronisus
), (iii) yellow cere, tibia and toes (orange in adult
Micronisus
), (iv) dark grey rump (white in
Micronisus
), and (v) juveniles dimorphic, rufous morph with rufous feather fringes on upperparts (monomorphic, with brown upperparts in
Micronisus
) (
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001
).
Microspizias
differs from
Harpagus
in (i) presence of three grey tail bands (two or three white or grey bands in
Harpagus
), (ii) adult male without dark mesial throat stripe (present in
Harpagus
), (iii) greyish-barred underparts (plain grey or rufous, or rufous-barred in adult
Harpagus
), and (iv) juveniles dimorphic, rufous morph with rufous feather fringes on upperparts (monomorphic, with brown to black-brown upperparts in
Harpagus
) (
Friedmann 1950
;
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001
).
Microspizias
differs from
Urotriorchis macrourus
in (i) much shorter tail (males <117 mm;>305 mm in
Urotriorchis
), (ii) tail squared or notched (strongly graduated in
Urotriorchis
), (iii) underparts with greyish bars (in
M. collaris
) or chocolate-brown bars (in
M. superciliosus
) (plain grey or rufous in
Urotriorchis
), (iv) dark grey rump (white in
Urotriorchis
), and (v) juveniles dimorphic, rufous morph with rufous feather fringes on upperparts (monomorphic, with black-brown upperparts in
Urotriorchis
) (
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001
).
Etymology.
The name is derived from the Greek words
μικρος
(small, tiny) and
σπιζιας
(hawk). Its gender is masculine. The name refers to the small size of both species, especially that of
M. superciliosus
.