They write:Full PDF here
The fragment they obtained from vigorsii is fully identical to the homologous sequence of T. tetrax; it differs from the homologous sequence of E. humilis by one single substitution; it differs from the homologous sequence of E. rueppellii by 19 substitutions. (See attached tree; note I used sequences of rather variable length to build it, though.) Thus the group would include T. tetrax, but exclude E. rueppellii... which in fact is hardly supportive of what Pitra et al. "proposed". (Pitra et al. obtained a highly uncertain placement of E. rueppellii in their trees, and suggested that this was possibly a consequence of them having not included data from humilis and vigorsii, which they assumed to be the closest relatives of rueppellii. Here, Horreo et al.'s data suggest that these two species are both extremely close to T. tetrax, and in no way particularly related to E. rueppellii; including them in the analysis doesn't seem to help clarify the placement of E. rueppellii at all.)Attempts at sequencing the cyt-b gene fragment in Eupodotis vigorsii using a sample from the National History Museum of London (specimen BMNH 1950.50.48) yielded only a 222 bp fragment due to the degraded state of the DNA. This short fragment has been deposited in GenBank (accession no. KC706447), and preliminary results show that this species groups with E. humilis and T. tetrax (data not shown). Pending analysis of a larger molecular data set, the proposal by Pitra et al. (2002) regarding the potential close relationship between E. humilis, E. vigorsii and E. rueppellii is thus partly supported by our cyt-b data set which, unexpectedly, also supports the inclusion of T. tetrax.
If correct, this would be quite amazing...
Palacín, C., Martín, B., Onrubia, A. & Alonso, J. C. (2016). Assessing the extinction risk of the great bustard Otis tarda in Africa. Endangered Species Research 30: 73–82.
Open Access
What do you mean, why a joke?Nubotis new genus. Honestly it's a joke.
My taxonomic predictions look mdr 🤣What do you mean, why a joke?
If anyone has the paper
The generic position of the Nubian Bustard Neotis nuba (Cretzschmar, 1826) (Aves: Otididae)
NIGEL J. COLLAR & GUY M. KIRWAN
The bustard genera Neotis and Ardeotis are generally considered to comprise four species each, but a 2002 molecular phylogeny found N. heuglinii interposed between two pairs of Ardeotis, with N. nuba basal to all seven others. In the absence of a new molecular study one approach to clarifying relationships in the Otididae is to examine the degree of difference in their self-advertisement displays (as performed solitarily, i.e., with no nearby conspecifics). In this regard N. nuba emerges as unique for possessing a strutting parade with its tail raised in a vertical fork, in complete contrast to the neck-inflation displays of other Neotis (which involve no use of the tail) and of all Ardeotis. The tail-fork in N. nuba, unknown in any other bustard, results from the outer rectrices being longer, stiffer and more pointed than the central ones. The species is also unique among bustards in its long broad sandy-rufous crown-stripe; and unlike all other Neotis the sexes are virtually alike in plumage. We consequently propose a new genus Nubotis for N. nuba. Furthermore, we suggest that confirmation of all components of the displays of N. heuglinii, N. denhami and N. ludwigii might precipitate a new genus for N. heuglinii. Fuller review of the distinctions between the Afrotropical A. arabs and A. kori on the one side and the non-Afrotropical A. nigriceps and A. australis on the other might also lead to the reinstatement of Austrotis for the latter two.
Nubotis new genus. Honestly it's a joke.