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).
Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird (Sciaphylax hemimelaena) [XC899411]
by Adrian Eisen Rupp from Alvar\u00e3es, State of Amazonas, Brazil (alarm call, call, song)
Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird (Sciaphylax hemimelaena) [XC246395]
by Jeremy Minns from Guajar\u00e1-Mirim, RO. c.20 km SE of Pakaas Palafitas Lodge, Brazil (call)
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).