Eastern Peru (south of R Marañón and R Amazon), south-western Amazonian Brazil (east to R Madeira, south to Acre) and north-western Bolivia west of R Mamoré and R Grande (Pando, La Paz, western Beni, Cochabamba, western Santa Cruz).
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird (Sciaphylax hemimelaena) [XC470980]
by Fernando Igor de Godoy from Santa Cruz: 'Hotel Flora y Fauna', Buena Vista, Bolivia (call, song)
Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird (Sciaphylax hemimelaena) [XC755022]
by JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA from Sinop, Mato Grosso, Estrada Clotilde, Brazil (song)
Genus appears not to represent a monophyletic grouping, but traditional arrangement maintained pending further phylogenetic study. Closely related to Northern Chestnut-tailed Antbird (Sciaphylax castanea), until recently considered conspecific but differing mainly in voice.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
hemimelaena (Sclater, 1857) - Eastern Peru (south of R Marañón and R Amazon), south-western Amazonian Brazil (east to R Madeira, south to Acre) and north-western Bolivia west of R Mamoré and R Grande (Pando, La Paz, western Beni, Cochabamba, western Santa Cruz).
pallens (von Berlepsch & Hellmayr, 1905) - Central Brazil south of R Amazon (R Madeira east to south-western Pará, south to Rondônia and western and northern Mato Grosso) and north-eastern Bolivia (eastern Santa Cruz).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet