Abstract
Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei (S. Müller 1843) is a small honeyeater distributed in two subspecies across three island groups in Maluku Province, Indonesia: M. b. boiei on the Banda Islands, and c.350 km to the south, M. b. annabellae on the Tanimbar Islands and Babar. We compare data from 28 museum specimens and 21 sound recordings, and report the results of 152 playback experiments, to investigate the taxonomy of these three populations. Compared to M. b. annabellae, M. b. boiei has a c.10% longer wing, bill and tarsus, more extensive black breast-band, duskier posterior underparts, and a highly divergent song; in playback experiments, M. b. boiei proved unresponsive to recordings of M. b. annabellae. However, the songs of M. b. annabellae on the Tanimbars and Babar are also highly divergent, with populations on both islands unresponsive to the song of the other. Birds on Babar are also slightly larger than annabellae on the Tanimbars (with a c.10% longer tail) and may have more scarlet on the back. We consider the vocal differences between the three populations to be highly indicative of reproductive isolation and recommend they be treated as three independent species under a modern interpretation of the Biological Species Concept. Because no nomen is available for the Babar population, we name it as a new species.
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| Distribution of Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei taxa in relation to the Banda Sea Islands mentioned in the text. |
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| Photographs of the three populations of Myzomela boiei s. s. (a) M. b. boiei, Banda Neira, 8 December 2023 (Andrew J. Spencer); (b) M. b. annabellae, Tanimbar (Yamdena), 11 November 2024 (James A. Eaton); and (c) Myzomela babarensis |
Myzomela babarensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis.—Compared to M. boiei sensu stricto, male M. babarensis differs in having a much narrower black breast-band that is confined to the upper breast (vs. extending onto the lower breast in M. b. boiei; Figs. 3–4). The lower underparts (especially the vent and flanks) of M. boiei are dusky, but consistently much paler cream-white in the nine specimens of M. babarensis examined. In plumage, females of the two populations appear to be identical. M. boiei s. s. is larger in wing, bill and tarsus length (Table 1) than M. babarensis. Morphologically, M. babarensis is similar to M. annabellae (restricted here to the Tanimbar Islands) and only very subtly identifiable. Male M. babarensis has a larger wing, bill and tail with no overlap (Table 1 and Fig. 2), and the available specimens (n = 5 for M. annabellae) appear to consistently have more extensive scarlet-red on the upperparts, especially on the uppertail-coverts. Female plumages appear inseparable. All three species differ radically in song (Table 2, Fig. 5 and accompanying descriptions) and playback experiments show them to be unresponsive to one another’s song. …
Etymology.—The species is named babarensis for the island of Babar, to which it is endemic. We propose the English name ‘Babar Myzomela’ (and ‘Tanimbar Myzomela’ for M. annabellae s. s.).
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