English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

The birds-of-paradise (Aves: Paradisaeidae) are a quintessential example of elaborate ornamental diversification among animals. Ornamental evolution in the birds-of-paradise is exemplified by the presence of a highly integrated courtship phenotype, which is the whole package of plumage ornaments, behaviors and sounds that each species uses during courtship. Characterizing a species’ courtship phenotype is therefore a key part of evolutionary and taxonomic investigation in the group. With its unprecedented transmogrification from bird-like form into something abstract and otherworldly, the courtship phenotype of the Superb Bird-of-Paradise,  Lophorina superba,  is one of the most remarkable of all. Recent research by  Irestedt et al. (2017)  suggests that the genus  Lophorina  is not a single species but is likely a complex of three allopatric species spanning the island of New Guinea:  L. niedda  in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of the west,  L. superba  throughout the central cordillera and  L. minor  in the Papuan Peninsula of the east. Of these,  niedda  is the most phenotypically divergent with plumage traits hypothesized to possibly produce differences in ornamental appearance during display. However, the whole courtship phenotype of  niedda  has not been documented and so the actual extent of differences in ornamental appearance during courtship remain unknown. Here we analyze the first audiovisual recordings of  niedda  and compare its courtship phenotype with  superba  to test the hypothesis of potential differences in ornamental appearance .  Our main goals are to: (1) provide the first description of the courtship phenotype of  niedda  in the wild, (2) determine if and how the  niedda  courtship phenotype differs from  superba  and (3) evaluate any uncovered differences in light of  niedda’s  newly recognized species status. Our secondary goal is to provide a more thorough characterization of courtship phenotype diversity within the genus  Lophorina  to facilitate future comparative study within the genus and family .  Results show that the  niedda  courtship phenotype differs substantially from  superba  in numerous aspects of ornamental appearance, display behavior and sound. We highlight six key differences and conclude that the new species status of  niedda  is corroborated by the distinctly differentiated ornamental features documented here .  With full species status,  niedda  becomes the fourth endemic bird-of-paradise to the Bird’s Head region of Indonesian New Guinea (i.e., the Vogelkop Peninsula), a fact that underscores the importance of this region as a center of endemic biodiversity worthy of enhanced conservation protection.

Distinctive courtship phenotype of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-ParadiseLophorina nieddaMayr, 1930 confirms new species status