Taxonomic revision of the Red-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus pusillus (Dumont, 1816) based on molecular and phenotypic analyses

Red-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus pusillus (Dumont, 1816) presently comprises three recognised subspecies, of which two are found in East Africa and one occurs disjunctly southern Africa. Based on their respective distributions phenotypic differences, a taxonomic reassessment the species is warranted. We performed phylogenetic reconstruction using mitochondrial genes ATPase 6/8 based 33 samples from across distribution four outgroup samples, then determined correspondence between genetic distances differences song morphology among clades Tobias et al. criteria. Our analyses revealed 4.4% sequence divergence mtDNA northern populations, with plumage, morphometric similar magnitude to those P. Yellow-fronted chrysoconus, above species-level thresholds according Furthermore, molecular phylogeny supports recognition synonymised taxon (P. p. eupterus) as distinct, but phenotypically cryptic, subspecies Africa, c.1.5% affinis uropygialis, turn differ less (1%) each other. propose that Tinkerbirds treated separate species, eupterus resurrected. findings suggest chrysoconus constituted may also merit revision.