Black-Barred Tapsi
The Black-Barred Tapsi (J. melanoptera) is descended from J. picticornus. They have made a revolutionary adaptation for display: Females chose males who stood out from the background more. The Black-Barred Tapsi has (as its name suggests) black markings, which stand out as much as possible from the forest background, giving them an edge in mating.
Their neck flaps are reduced, but this is counteracted by their bold coloration so displays are still effective. Males still make complex displays toward females to impress them. The females still lay only 10-15 externally fertilized eggs in the canopy. The male’s black markings are produced by dense areas of very dark skin pigments, meaning up close they’re actually just very, very, very dark green.
Another reason their new black colors help attract mates is that it signals a male healthy enough to avoid predation while still having bright colors that stand out a ton on their body. When young, males lack this color as it’d be disadvantageous for them to reveal themselves by default before sexual maturity because when young they are most vulnerable to predation.
Like their ancestor, they still feed on the seeds and fruit of C. berrioks, the fruit of C. cauliramos, the fruit of C. polycaulis, and the seeds of C. yellionuis.
