Races of the African finfoot (Aves, Heliornithidae). American Museum novitates ; no. 1659
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Abstract
"With the increased number of specimens now available from many parts of its range, it is clear that the dimensions of Podica senegalensis increase gradually from Upper Guinea to the eastward and southward. The disparity in size between the sexes is very marked and must always be considered when the five geographic races are compared. The darkest of all, P. s. camerunensis, is restricted to the Cameroon, Gaboon, and central Congo basin. It is small, approximately equal in size to P. s. senegalensis. In Kenya Colony, east of the Rift Valley, there is a race of somewhat larger size, very dark on head and neck, though males do not become black on the under parts. This form is here named P. s. somereni. In the region of the Loango Coast, southern Congo, and (northern?) Angola the increase in size is sufficient to justify a fourth race, with breast and abdomen always whitish, P. s. albipectus. Finally the maximum size is reached in South Africa and Mozambique, the habitat of P. s. petersii. The latter two are like senegalensis in color"--P. 10.
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Includes bibliographical references.