Ecology, conservation, and phylogenetic position of the Madagascar Jacana Actophilornis albinucha

Ecology, conservation, and phylogenetic position of the Madagascar Jacana Actophilornis albinucha

The Madagascar Jacana Actophilornis albinucha (Jacanidae) is an endemic shorebird found in the threatened wetlands of western Madagascar. This species is presumed to exhibit classical polyandry; however, few data are available to support that assumption. More generally, a lack of basic understanding...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ostrich Vol. 90; no. 4; pp. 315 - 326
Main Authors: Jackson, Josephine D'Urban, Zefania, Sama, Moehy, Sebastien, Bamford, Andrew J, Bruford, Michael W, Székely, Tamás
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Johannesburg Taylor & Francis 13-12-2019
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Actophilornis africanus
Actophilornis albinucha
African wetlands
Aquatic birds
Birds
Conservation
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Environmental degradation
Females
Jacanidae
Lakes
Males
Mitochondrial DNA
mtDNA
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Polyandry
Population density
Population number
Sexual dimorphism
sexual size dimorphism
shorebirds
Sibling species
visual survey
Wildlife conservation
Madagascar
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Summary:The Madagascar Jacana Actophilornis albinucha (Jacanidae) is an endemic shorebird found in the threatened wetlands of western Madagascar. This species is presumed to exhibit classical polyandry; however, few data are available to support that assumption. More generally, a lack of basic understanding of this species hinders conservation efforts. We conducted the most extensive study of the Madagascar Jacana to date, and report on its: 1) distribution, population size and density; 2) degree of sexual size dimorphism; and 3) phylogenetic position. The surveys were conducted at 54 lakes, between January and October in 2016. Madagascar Jacana were found at 22 lakes, and within these were distributed at a mean density of 3.5 ± 0.74 [SE] individuals per hectare of surveyed habitat. We estimate the global population size to be between 975 and 2 064 individuals, and habitat destruction appears to be the main threat to the species. Females were significantly larger than males, consistent with reports for other Jacanidae species. Using a mitochondrial DNA fragment, we expanded the Jacanidae genetic phylogeny, and confirmed that Madagascar Jacana is the sister species to the African Jacana Actophilornis africanus. Further studies are urgently needed to thoroughly re-assess the threat status and population trend of the Madagascar Jacana.
ISSN:0030-6525
1727-947X
DOI:10.2989/00306525.2019.1662508