From what can be seen on the "Fig. 2" linked in Richard's post, they indeed seem to be a mess. (Apparently three other species [Black, Thick-billed & Saffron Siskins] are minimally divergent and embedded in the Andean group of Hooded...)I'm glad someone is working on this. From what across their altitudinal range in Manu last year, Hooded Siskins are a mess.
Beckman & Witt 2015. Mol Phylogenet Evol 87: 28–45.
3. ... SACC proposal passed to resurrect Sporagra (and Astragalinus for psaltria). Beckman & Witt (2015), however, found that Spinus (s.s.) was the sister group to the Neotropical Sporagra group. SACC proposal needed.
3b. ... Sporagra magellanica, S. siemiradzkii, and S. olivacea were considered to form a superspecies by Sibley and Monroe (1990), but genetic data (Nguembock et al. 2009) did not recover a sister relationship between siemiradzkii and magellanica (olivacea not sampled). Beckman & Witt (2015) found that siemiradzkii was indeed embedded in the S. magellanica group. Although Sporagra olivacea traditionally (e.g., Hellmayr 1938, Howell et al. 1968, Meyer de Schauensee 1970) has been treated as a separate species from C. magellanica, Ridgely & Tudor (1989) and Ridgely & Greenfield (2001) questioned whether it merits species rank. Beckman & Witt (2015), however, [sic] but that S. olivacea was sister to S. spinescens.
4. ... Beckman & Witt (2015) found that he subspecies S. m. alleni was sister to S. xanthogastra.
5. ... Beckman & Witt (2015), however, found relationships that differed from most of the above relationships, with S. atratus and S. crassirostris embedded with the magellanicus group. Beckman & Witt (2015) noted that genetic differentiation among sympatric species of Sporagra is minimal; thus, resolving the relationships within this lineage is difficult. SACC proposal needed to revise linear sequence <or wait for better data?>.
Beckman & Witt (in press). Phylogeny and biogeography of the New World siskins and goldfinches: Rapid, recent diversification in the Central Andes. Mol Phylogenet Evol. [abstract] [Fig 1] [Fig 2] [Fig 3]
Astragalinus (and Sporagra) are recognised by AOU SACC, but not by NACC.Related threads:
Hooded Siskin: potentially eastern Spinus (magellanicus) magellanicus and Andean S (m) capitalis. (ref Clement 2010.)
Using dodgy hybrid mule canaries and unverified cagebirds for sequence data??Voucher/source Species Locality Genbank accession number
.....
NRM:20026502 Serinus canaria Captivity – JN715576 – JN715301 –
unknown Serinus canaria Captivity EU327666 – – – –
unknown Serinus canaria Unknown – – AY914135 – –
.....
AHNU:A0001 Spinus spinus Unknown HQ915866 HQ915866 HQ915866 – –
.....
Unknown Spinus yarrellii Captivity: BRA; Recife – – U83200.1 – –
Related: Pine & Black-capped Siskins.Sofía Alvarez, Jessie F. Salter, John E. McCormack and Borja Milá. Speciation in mountain refugia: phylogeography and demographic history of the pine siskin and black-capped siskin complex. Journal of Avian Biology. Accepted manuscript online: 28 OCT 2015 09:29PM EST | DOI: 10.1111/jav.00814 [Abstract]
V. A. Payevsky. Taxonomy of true finches (Fringillidae, Passeriformes): A review of problems. Biology Bulletin, December 2015, Volume 42, Issue 8, pp 713-723.
Original Russian Text © V.A. Payevsky, 2015, published in Zoologicheskii Zhurnal, 2015, Vol. 94, No. 2, pp. 221–232.
Abstract
Паевский ends up suggesting (largely based on Zuccon et al. 2012):Have you read this paper? If so could you give a summary of the conclusions. I've only access to the abstract.
Family Fringillidae Leach 1820—true finches, 56 genera, 218 species
Subfamily Fringillinae Leach 1820—chaffinches and brambling, 1 genus, 3 speciesSubfamily Euphoniinae Cabanis 1847—euphonias and chlorophonias, 2 genera, 32 speciesSubfamily Carduelinae Vigors 1825—cardueline finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers, 53 genera, 183 species
Tribe Coccothraustini Swainson 1831—hawfinch and grosbeaks, 4 genera, 9 species
Tribe Carpodacini Bonaparte 1854—rosefinches and Bonin grosbeak, 2 genera, 25 species
Tribe Drepanidini Cabanis 1847—Hawaiian honeycreepers, 22 genera, 33 species
Tribe Pyrrhulini Vigors 1825—bullfinches, trumpeter finches, pine grosbeak, crimson-winged finch, mountain finches, 9 genera, 22 species
Tribe Carduelini Vigors 1825—goldfinches, siskins, greenfinches, linnets, redpolls, crossbills, serins and canaries, 16 genera, 94 species
Alvarez, Salter, McCormack & Milá. 2016. Speciation in mountain refugia: phylogeography and demographic history of the pine siskin and black-capped siskin complex. J. Avian Biol. 47:335-345. [abstract] [pdf] [suppl.mat.] [data]Sofía Alvarez, Jessie F. Salter, John E. McCormack and Borja Milá. Speciation in mountain refugia: phylogeography and demographic history of the pine siskin and black-capped siskin complex. Journal of Avian Biology. Accepted manuscript online: 28 OCT 2015 09:29PM EST | DOI: 10.1111/jav.00814
[Abstract]