The true identity of the strigiform species Ninox dubiosa Weick, 2006, with comments on a skull feature shared by the Ieraglaucinae and Surniinae

Abstract We revisit the holotype of Ninox dubiosa Weick, 2006, and show the species to be a junior synonym of the White-throated Screech Owl, Megascops albogularis (Cassin, 1849). Micro-CT scans of the specimen reveal the absence of a dorsal process on the jugal bar, which precludes its assignment to the taxon Ninox . The presence of a temporal fenestra is shared with species of the taxon Megascops . We detail that the process of the jugal bar is likely to represent a synapomorphy of a clade formed by the Ieraglaucinae and Surniinae, and its absence in Aegolius challenges the current placement of this taxon within the clade.