Speciation in the Pampean Mountains of Córdoba and San Luis (Argentina), with a description of seven new bird subspecies

Abstract

There are twelve different orographic systems in Argentina. Eight of them belong to the Andean Cordillera, and the others are spread in the Pampean plains and Patagonia. The Sierras Pampeanas is the most important extra-Andean system. Nevertheless, from biogeographic considerations, this approach is irrelevant, as the diverse life zones are determined by altitude, latitude, and slope exposure. The altitude lines of 500 m and 1,000 m show an incipient isolation of the Sierras de Córdoba and San Luis, while the altitude line of 1,500 m above the timberline in these sierras borders sand and canyon environments that are completely isolated. There are various endemic plant species and endemic species and subspecies of vertebrates, and another seven new subspecies of birds are described here.