A New Species of Akalat (Sheppardia) Narrowly Endemic in the Eastern Arc of Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract The group of small forest robins, or akalats, that dwell in lowland and montane forests in Africa have complicated parapatric or partly overlapping distributions, the details of which are still being discovered. Here, we use external morphology and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to determine the reciprocal monophyly of several populations, including one form that is related to Sheppardia lowei and S. montana. Those data corroborate the recognition of a new species, Sheppardia aurantiithorax, and show relatively high levels of sequence divergence among populations of the different species. The discovery of this new species, narrowly endemic in the Eastern Arc montane forests, emphasizes the complex biodiversity of the region and underscores the need for prompt and effective conservation measures.