Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana) [XC549992]
by Felipe Arantes from Finca San Jorge, Morelia\/Caquet\u00e1, Colombia (call)
Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana) [XC297051]
by Fernando Igor de Godoy from Quebrada Upaquihua, San Martin dept., Peru (call)
Subspecies
Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana) and White-bellied Tanager (Tangara brasiliensis) were putatively listed by Stotz et al. (1996) as potentially distinct at the species level, but this treatment is not recognised following SACC (2005) who retain brasiliensis within Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana).
Based on genetic data this species is sister to Plain-colored Tanager (Tangara inornata). Subspecies brasiliensis, long regarded as a separate species because of its larger size, paler plumage and geographical isolation, has more recently been treated as a subspecies of present species, but status merits further consideration.
Proposed subspecies lateralis (described from Apacy, on R Tapajós) is now generally considered an intergrade between nominate and boliviana. Further study is required.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
vieilloti (Sclater, PL, 1857) - Trinidad.
media (von Berlepsch & Hartert, 1902) - Eastern Colombia (Vichada) and north-eastern and southern Venezuela (Monagas, Sucre Delta Amacuro and, south of R Orinoco, Amazonas and Bolívar).
mexicana (Linnaeus, 1766) - The Guianas and Brazil (east to eastern Pará and south to central Mato Grosso).
boliviana (Bonaparte, 1851) - Northern Bolivia. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Sayaca Tanager (Tangara sayaca).
brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Coastal south-eastern Brazil (southern Bahia south to Rio de Janeiro). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, White-bellied Tanager (Tangara brasiliensis).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet