Aulacorhynchus - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

A major taxonomy review in 1974 resulted in 6 species in the genus Aulacorhynchus, and this has been followed by virtually all later authorities.

In 2001, it was suggested that A. prasinus, as traditionally defined, was a species complex that should be split into 7 different species based on preliminary morphological evidence. This has to some extent been supported by genetic evidence, which suggests that an additional species should be recognized (griseigularis is included in A. albivitta based on morphological evidence, but the two are split based on genetic evidence). Additionally, genetic evidence supports splitting A. derbianus into two separate species, but it does not support splitting A. sulcatus into two separate species, as has been recommended earlier.

At present, most authorities maintain that the genus Aulacorhynchus has 7 species (with the remaining treated as subspecies), but SACC do recognize the need for a review of the A. prasinus complex, and have split A. derbianus from A. whitelianus.