Nannopsittaca Dachilleae, a New Species of Parrotlet from Eastern Peru
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THE AUK A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY VOL. 108 APRIL 1991 No. 2 NANNOPSITTACA DACHILLEAE, A NEW SPECIES OF PARROTLET FROM EASTERN PERU JOHN P. O'NEILL, • CHARLESA. MUNN, 2 AND IRMA FRANKE •LouisianaState University Museum of Natural Science,Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 USA, 2WildlifeConservation International, New YorkZoological Society, Bronx, New York 10460 USA, and 3Museode HistoriaNatural de SanMarcos, Apartado 14-0434, Lima 14, Peru ABSTRACr.--Wedescribe a new speciesof parrotlet, Nannopsittacadachilleae, known from severallocalities in southeasternPeru and northwesternBolivia. Its charactersplace it in the genusNannopsittaca, which was formerly consideredto be monotypicand restrictedto the Pantepuiregion of northern SouthAmerica. The two speciesprobably form a superspecies. Received26 July 1990,accepted 8 January1991. IN 1985 Munn saw a small group of green on 3 July 1987 two specimensof a suspected parrotlets along the Rio Manu in the Parque Forpuswere collectedby Pete Marta and Tony Nacional del Manu in eastern Peru. The birds Meyer. In the hand, the powder-blue crown was were assembled with other parrots and para- evident and led to the suspicionthat thesespec- keetsat a cliff where thesebirds frequently come imens represented the same speciesthat Munn to eat clay. Their general size and shape were and others had first seen along the Rio Manu that of membersof the genus Forpus,but they in 1985. Through the courseof the expedition exhibited no sexualdimorphism and could not additional specimenswere obtained, and it be- be assignedto any speciesrecorded within the came clear that the bird was probably not a park or nearby lowlands of eastern Peru. The memberof the genusForpus and representedan distinguishingmarks were a powder blue wash undescribedspecies. Subsequently, O'Neill de- on the forehead and crown, a pale bare area termined that the new parrotlet belongs in the around the eye, and a pinkish flesh beak and genus Nannopsittaca,whose only previously tarsi (see Frontispiece). The birds were photo- known species(N. panychlora,the Tepui Par- graphed, and in later years they were seen re- rotlet) is confined to the Pantepui region of peatedly by Munn and his colleagues.In 1987 southern Venezuela, northern Brazil, and west- O'Neill and colleaguesfrom the Museo de Hi- ern Guyana. We hereby describethe new bird storia Natural de San Marcos (Lima) and from as follows. the Louisiana State University Museum of Nat- ural Sciencetraveled to the upper Rio Shesha, Nannopsittaca dachilleae sp. nov. Dpto. Ucayali, Peru, to conduct an ornitholog- Amazonian Parrotlet ical survey of the hills and low mountains on the Peru-Brazil border. Their first camp on the Holotype.--Museo de Historia Natural de San banks of the Shesha was near a clump of tall Marcos (MHN-SM) No. 11614, adult female, col- bamboo(Guadua sp., aft. angustifolia,A. Gentry lected ca. 65 km ENE of Pucallpa,right bank of in litt.) that was in seed.Several species of par- the Rio Shesha,Dpto. Ucayali, Peru (8ø8'S, rots fed upon the abundant bamboo seeds,and 74ø2'W),300 m elevation,collected 29 July 1987 225 The Auk 108: 225-229. April 1991 FRONTISPIECE.Two adult Amazonian Parrotlets (Nannopsittacadachilleae), a new species of parrotlet from easternPeru, picturedalong the upper Rio Shesha.From a mixed media painting by John P O'Neill. Pub- lication of this Frontispiecewas supported by the Donald L. Bleitz Fund. 226 O'NEI•,•,,MUNN, AND FRANKE J. [Auk,Vol. 108 by Gabriel Bal16nS., and prepared by Cecilia Fund, the United Nations, and the Canadian Fox (personalcatalog number 235). and American development agencies.Her pro- Descriptionof the holotype.--Upperparts,in- digious energy and courage in the field, often cluding nape, auriculars,dorsum, tertials, wing in remote or dangerousareas, led her to break coverts, rump, upper-tail coverts and rectrices, new ground in scientific reporting on the in- bright green, nearest Parrot Green or Rinne- creasinglythreatened world-record biological man's Green (capitalized colors are from Ridg- diversity of Peru. In 1986, her compelling re- way 1912). Forehead,anterior crown, and lores porting from the remotestmountains and for- pale, powdery blue, nearest Deep Bluish Glau- ests of the country earned her the coveted cous or Lumiere Blue, which fades impercep- Koepcke Prize for Environmental Journalism. tibly into the green of the nape. Below, includ- Appropriately, Barbarawrote many of her finest ing malar area, breast, belly, and under-tail articleswhile on expeditionsto the rain forests coverts paler, more yellowish green, nearest of Pucallpa, Tambopata,and Manu, where she Mineral Green.Chin greenishyellow, between was among the first investigatorsto seethe new Bright Chalcedony Yellow and Chalcedony speciesof parrotlet we name in her honor. We Yellow. Primaries and secondariesdusky black hope that naming this parrotlet after Barbara on inner webs,but bright green,between Parrot will keep her memory alive and inspire young Green and Meadow Green, on outer webs. Soft journalists in Latin America and around the part colors:iris "gris parduzco"(grayish brown), world to follow her exampleand fight for the bill and feet [incl. tarsi] "rosadas"(pinkish). survival of our planet's threatened biota. Measurements(mm) of the holotype.--Wing (chord) 81.2; exposedculmen 11.0; depth of REMARKS maxilla at base5.3 (culmen/depth maxilla 2.1); tail 46.5; tarsus 12.1; outer toe without claw 13.0; Relationships.--Specimensof Nannopsittaca weight 41.0 g. dachilleaeshow all of the charactersof the genus Distribution.--Knownin Peru from the type as describedby Ridgway (1916; seeAppendix), locality and along mostof the length of the Rio although a review of the limits and relation- Shesha(Dpto. Ucayali), the middle Rio Manu, shipsof the generaBolborhynchus (including the the region of the Explorer'sInn in the Tam- subgeneraAmoropsittaca and Psilopsiagon), Touit, bopataReserve (on the Rio Tambopata),and the Forpus,Nannopsittaca, and Brotogerisis needed. middle Rio Heath (all Dpto. Madre de Dios), We first thought that the new bird was an un- and in Boliviaalong the middleRio Heath (Dpto. describedmember of the genus Forpus,but its La Paz). The Rio Heath records, both in Peru relativelysmall bill and total lackof bright blue and in Bolivia, are sight recordsby T. A. Parker in the plumage were obviouseven in the field. III (Remsenand Traylor 1989). Once specimenswere available, the length of Etymology.--Wetake great pleasure in nam- the under-tail coverts(as long asthe tail in Nan- ing this new parrotletafter our dear friend and nopsittaca,but much shorter in all other related colleague in conservation,Barbara D'Achille, genera but Touit;Ridgway 1916) was also ob- who died tragically on 31 May 1989 while in- vious.Other charactersthat Ridgway(1916) used vestigating reforestationprojects in the moun- to characterizeNannopsittaca, and which are all tainous Peruvian Department of Huancavelica. evident in N. dachilleae,include the following: A native of Latvia, she spent most of her 48 a narrower, more slender maxilla (7.5 mm for yearsin western Europe,Brazil, Argentina, and a male N. dachilleae vs. 9.0 mm for individual Peru. Before 1983 she devoted her efforts pri- males of Forpussclateri and F. xanthopterygius, marily to her family, but did volunteer conser- and up to 14.5 for a male Bolborhynchusorbyg- vation work in Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. From nesius);the depth of the maxilla at the base is 1983 until her death, she wrote hundreds of equal to or much less than half the length of detailed,firsthand investigative reports on ecol- the culmen, and the culmen is less strongly ogy, conservation,and rural developmentfor curved; the tarsusis as long as the outer front Peru's leading newspaperand news magazine. toe without the claw; and the tenth (outermost) By the last three yearsof her life she had gained primary has the inner web emarginatenear the a worldwide reputationas Latin America'smost tip (in Nannopsittacaand Bolborhynchusthe out- committed, most effective, and most published ermostprimary is lessemarginate than in Forpus environmentaljournalist. During this time she and farther from the tip, being only in the distal becamea key consultantfor the World Wildlife few millimetersin Forpus).Although the orbital April1991] A NewParrotlet from Peru 227 region is supposedto be wholly feath•red, the panychloraand N. dachilleaeare so similar in new bird in life had an obvious but narrow, overall structure but show consistent color dif- bare, pinkish flesh eyering that is made up of ferences, and becausethe two populations are skin more than just that which forms the eye- completelyallopatric, we believethat they must lids. This seemsto also be present in N. pany- be treatedas separate species. Their similarities chlora,but is difficult to seein the specimensat indicate a close relationship that is best de- hand, in which no obvious extra care went into scribedby treating them as membersof a su- putting in the eye cotton. The rectrices are perspecies. wholly green, and there is no hint of bright Becauseof the difference between the way blue or green on the rump. colorsare expressedin Spanishversus in En- Nannopsittacadachilleae differs from N. pany- glish,we includesome of the noteson softparts chloramainly in having no yellow feathering taken from the catalogs of English-speaking around the eye and in having the forehead and membersof the expedition. Iris: "cinnamon," crown a powdery blue color. Most specimens "buff," "brown"; bill: "pale horn,