Chapter 11: Quantifying Subspecies Analysis: A Case Study of Morphometric Variation and Subspecies in the Woodcreeper Genus Dendrocolaptes

Abstract

Abstract Many authors have criticized the use of subspecies, but most of this criticism has been directed at the inconsistent treatment of subspecies rather than the inutility of diagnosable populations. To assess the validity of a taxon, one must include in the analysis those characters used in the original diagnosis and remember that different character sets may lack geographic concordance. We examined morphometric variation using 3,027 specimens representing all five species and 30 subspecies in the woodcreeper genus Dendrocolaptes (Dendrocolaptinae). Most subspecies in the genus differ in plumage patterns and coloration, but a few taxa were described using characters of size and structure. We sought to assess quantitatively, on the basis of the D-statistic (Patten and Unitt 2002), those subspecies described using mensural characters, to quantify morphological variation, and to examine the influence of ecological correlates in the genus. Males average slightly larger than females but have a less massiv...