The red-throated rock martin (Ptyonoprogne rufigula) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae. It is found over a large area of Africa from Sierra Leone eastwards to Eritrea and Ethiopia and then south across East Africa to Zimbabwe and northern Mozambique. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the large rock martin.[citation needed]
| Red-throated rock martin | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Hirundinidae |
| Genus: | Ptyonoprogne |
| Species: | P. rufigula
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ptyonoprogne rufigula (Fischer, GA & Reichenow, 1884)
| |
Taxonomy
editThe red-throated rock martin was formally described in 1884 by the explorer Gustav Fischer and the ornithologist Anton Reichenow based on a specimen collected in the highlands of Eritrea. They coined the binomial name Cotyle rufigula.[2][3] It is now one of five martins placed in the genus Ptyonoprogne that was introduced in 1850 by German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach.[4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek πτυον/ptuon meaning "fan" with Latin progne meaning "swallow".[5] The specific epithet rufigula is from Latin rufus meaning "red" with gula meaning "throat".[6] The red-throated rock martin was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the southern African large rock martin (Ptyonoprogne fuligula) with the English name "rock martin" for the combined taxa. The red-throated rock martin was elevated to species status based on morphological differences and phylogenomic analysis.[4][7]
Three subspecies are recognised:[4]
- P. r. pusilla (Zedlitz, 1908) – south Mali to north Ethiopia and Eritrea
- P. r. bansoensis (Bannerman, 1923) – Sierra Leone to Nigeria and Cameroon
- P. r. rufigula (Fischer, GA & Reichenow, 1884) – north Nigeria and Chad to central Ethiopia south to Zimbabwe and north Mozambique
References
edit- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Ptyonoprogne rufigula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T104005790A104344586. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T104005790A104344586.en. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Fischer, Gustav; Reichenow, Anton (1884). "Neue Vogelarten aus dem Massailand (Inneres Ostafrika)". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 32 (165): 52-58 [53].
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 103.
- ^ a b c Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Swallows". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "Ptyonoprogne". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "rufigula". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Brown, Clare Elizabeth (2019). Phylogeny and Evolution of Swallows (Hirundinidae) With a Transcriptomic Perspective on Seasonal Migration (Thesis). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 4823. Lousina State University.