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Morphological variation in the tit-like dacnis (xenodacnis parina): A call to revise the taxonomic status of ecuador's population

Abstract:

Xenodacnis is a specialized high-Andean bird genus in which males are larger and show different coloration from females. Howev-er, sexual dimorphism has not been analyzed in detail yet. Distributed in Ecuador and Peru, Xenodacnis has long been considered a single-species genus with three subspecies. The population in Ecuador, discovered in the 1980s, has not been given a taxonomic identity so far; thus, this study gathers morphological data from Xenodacnis throughout its distribution and confirms the morphological differences between sexes: Males are significantly larger and heavier than females, but without consistent differences in bill size. Between populations, the re-search shows smaller individuals in the south, with size increasing towards the northernmost Ecuadorian populations. These results suggest that the taxonomy of the genus Xenodacnis should be revised and the population from Ecuador should have a proper taxonomic identity, different from all previously described members of the genus.