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WILSON BULLETIN Thursday Jan 05 2006 04:24 PM wils 118_103 Mp_13 Allen Press x DTPro System GALLEY File # 03TQ The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 118(1):13±22, 2006 THE REDISCOVERY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF THE WHITE-MASKED ANTBIRD (PITHYS CASTANEUS) DANIEL F. LANE,1,6 THOMAS VALQUI H,1,2 JOSEÂ ALVAREZ A,3 JESSICA ARMENTA,2,5 AND KAREN ECKHARDT4 ABSTRACT.ÐIn July 2001, a Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science expedition rediscovered the White-masked Antbird (Pithys castaneus) at a site along the RõÂo Morona in northwestern Departmento Loreto, Peru. Prior to this rediscovery, the species was known only from the type specimen, taken in 1937, and nothing was recorded concerning its natural history. The lack of additional specimens led to speculation that P. castaneus was a hybrid. Here, we present data demonstrating that the White-masked Antbird is a valid species, and we report the ®rst observations of its behavior, habitat, morphology, and voice. Received 14 January 2005, accepted 11 October 2005. In 1938, Berlioz (1938) described a distinc- to be a sympatric congener. It differed from tive new species of antbird in the genus Pith- P. albifrons in its larger size, its lack of any ysÐuntil then considered monotypicÐfrom a gray on the body, and its lack of elongated single specimen collected by Ramon Olalla on plumes on the face or throat. 16 September 1937 at ``Andoas, lower [RõÂo] Decades passed without any additional re- Pastaza, eastern Ecuador.'' This new species, cords of P. castaneus. Subsequent authors the White-masked Antbird (Pithys castaneus), doubted the validity of the species, and many has remained one of the most intriguing mys- suggested that it represented nothing more teries of Neotropical ornithology for over 60 than a hybrid of P. albifrons and another ant- years (see David and Gosselin 2002 for gen- bird species (Sibley and Monroe 1990, Schu- der of scienti®c name). Besides the collector, lenberg and Stotz 1991, Collar et al. 1992, no biologist had ever seen the bird alive, and Statters®eld and Capper 2000, Ridgely and there is no information on the species' natural Green®eld 2001b). Willis (1984) and person- history or preferred habitat. The type locality, nel at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural ``Andoas,'' is particularly intriguing in that at Sciences (ANSP; Collar et al. 1992, Ridgely least three sites in the Pastaza area bear this and Tudor 1994) searched without success for name (Stevens and Traylor 1983, Paynter P. castaneus along the upper RõÂo Pastaza in 1993), and according to T. Mark (in litt.), we Peru and Ecuador, respectively. may never really know the true location of the Thus, when our Louisiana State University type locality. Museum of Natural Science (LSUMZ) orni- The type specimen, a male (contra Ridgely thological ®eld team visited several sites in and Tudor 1994), is housed at the Paris Mu- northwestern Departamento Loreto, Peru, seum in France. According to Berlioz (1938, from May through July 2001, it was with great 1948), it was part of a collection that included surprise that we found P. castaneus to be fair- three specimens of White-plumed Antbird (P. ly common at one of our ®eld sites. The main albifrons peruvianus) and therefore appeared goal of our ®eldwork was to inventory the avifauna of two isolated patches of varillal 1 Louisiana State Univ. Museum of Natural Science, (white sand) forest (see Whitney and Alvarez 119 Foster Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. 1998; Alvarez and Whitney 2001, 2003). One 2 Dept. of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. of these forest patches was in the inter¯uvium 3 Inst. de Investigaciones de la AmazonõÂa Peruana between the Morona and Santiago rivers in (IIAP), Av. QuinÄones Km. 2.5, Iquitos, Peru. northern Peru, north of the RõÂo MaranÄoÂn, only 4 Museo de Historia Natural de la Univ. Nacional about 60 km west of the RõÂo Pastaza, and it Mayor de San Marcos, Apartado 14±0434, Lima, Peru. was there that we found P. castaneus. 5 Current address: Dept. of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 413, Lapham Hall, Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwau- Remarkably, while reviewing specimen ma- kee, WI 53201, USA. terial at the Museo de Historia Natural de la 6 Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] Universidad Mayor San Marcos (MUSM), 13 WILSON BULLETIN Thursday Jan 05 2006 04:24 PM wils 118_103 Mp_14 x Allen Press DTPro System GALLEY File # 03TQ 14 THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY x Vol. 118, No. 1, March 2006 FIG. 1. Known localities for Pithys castaneus in northwestern Departmento Loreto, Peru. The star represents suspected location of ``Andoas,'' the type locality, on the RõÂo Pastaza (Berlioz 1938). The square represents the location of the species' rediscovery in July 2001 on the west bank of the RõÂo Morona (048 179 S, 778 149 W). The Cordillera CampanquõÂs lies between the rõÂos Morona and Santiago, immediately to the west of our ®eld site. Lima, in November 2002, we discovered two study site was on the south side of the mouth additional specimens of P. castaneus (one of Quebrada CashacanÄo, a right-bank tributary adult and one juvenile). These specimens were of the RõÂo Morona, about 2.3 km north of the reportedly taken somewhere in the Cordillera village of Tierra Blanca. We observed and CampanquõÂs region on the border of Depart- made a general collection of birds at this site mentos Amazonas and Loreto between the between 2 and 21 July 2001. Our camp was Morona and Santiago rivers (see Fig. 1), in set up in a clearing of a homestead abandoned the mid- to late 1990s by a Peruvian anthro- about 30 years earlier and which, reportedly, pologist, Andres Treneman (I. Franke J. pers. has been reinhabited since our visit (B. Walker comm.). Unfortunately, no additional speci- pers. comm.). A preexisting trail, used for the men data are available, and the collector could harvest of palm fronds for thatched-roof con- not be contacted for additional information. struction, led directly into white-sand forests for about 2 km. Another trail, cut along the METHODS bluff above the Morona, connected the camp Locality.ÐWe established a campsite on the with the village of Tierra Blanca. From this west bank of the RõÂo Morona about 54 km trail, at least another three trails also entered north-northwest of its mouth (048 179 S, 778 the varillal forest. Additional trails were cut 149 W; Fig. 1), Departmento Loreto. The near camp for census routes and net lanes; WILSON BULLETIN Thursday Jan 05 2006 04:24 PM wils 118_103 Mp_15 Allen Press x DTPro System GALLEY File # 03TQ Lane et al. x REDISCOVERY OF WHITE-MASKED ANTBIRD 15 most trails were in varillal, but three also en- 172975, 172976 [skeleton and partial skin], tered the adjacent varzea (seasonally inundat- 172977, 172978, 172979 [skeleton and partial ed) forest. We also found two patches of richer skin], MUSM 23504, 23505, 23506, 23507; clay-soil terra ®rme forest north and south of DFL 1646 [skeleton, uncataloged], TVH 399 the surveyed varillal forest patch, into which [alcohol, uncataloged]). we cut two trails. Pithys albifrons: Ecuador: Pastaza; Coco- Habitat.ÐMost of the forest where P. cas- naco, 300 m elevation (LSUMZ 83237); Peru: taneus was observedÐparticularly away from Amazonas; Huampami, ;215 m elevation major water bodiesÐgrew on very moist, (LSUMZ 84917), Chiriaco, ;320 m elevation white-sand soils. Numerous areas of wet, (LSUMZ 78514, 88018, 88019, 88022); Lor- swampy conditions indicated a high water ta- eto; Libertad, S bank of RõÂo Napo, 80 km N ble. The terrain was without signi®cant relief, of Iquitos, 120 m elevation (LSUMZ 110094, but throughout the varillal forest were many 110096, 110097, 110098, 110099, 110100, small depressions where water accumulated, 110102, 110103, 110104, 110105); 157 km by particularly after rains, presumably pits re- river NNE of Iquitos, N of RõÂo Napo, 110 m sulting from tree-falls. The soil consisted of elevation (LSUMZ 110106, 110109, 110112, rather coarse sand with stones of up to 5 cm 110113). in diameter (up to 15 cm in the small creeks Gymnopithys leucaspis: Peru: Loreto; west that transected the forest interior). Using a nat- bank of RõÂo Morona, ;54 km NNW of the ural cut at the RõÂo Morona riverbank for ref- mouth, 140 m elevation (048 179 S, 778 149 W) erence, the sandy soil is approximately 4 m (LSUMZ 172985); Quebrada OraÂn, ;5kmN deep at the river's edge. Typical of many var- of RõÂo Amazonas, 85 km NE of Iquitos, 110 illal forests, a thick layer of dead leaves and m elevation (LSUMZ 119884, 119885, humus covered the forest ¯oor (Ruokolainen 119886, 119887, 119890, 119891, 119892, and Tuomisto 1993, 1998; Richards 1996). 119893). The forest canopy of the varillal was relative- Phlegopsis erythroptera: Ecuador: Sucum- ly even, with a height of about 20 to 30 m. bios; Limoncocha, 300 m elevation (008 249 The relative absence of buttressed trees is typ- S, 768 379 W) (LSUMZ 70916, 70917, 70919, ical of varillal forests (Richards 1996); how- 83314). Peru: Loreto; W bank of RõÂo Morona, ever, many such trees were present in more ;54 km NNW of the mouth, 140 m elevation humid forest areas at the Morona site. As has (048 179 S, 778 149 W) (LSUMZ 173001); 1.5 been noted in other varillal forests (Anderson km S of Libertad, S bank of RõÂo Napo, 80 km 1981, Richards 1996), there were few lianas, and epiphytic growth was negligible. N of Iquitos, 120 m elevation (LSUMZ Data collection.ÐWe collected specimens 110213, 110215, 110217); 1 km N of RõÂo using mist nets and shotguns.