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Nectariniidae (1 Viewer)

This apparently flew below the radars -

Lauron, Loiseau, Bowie, Spicer, Smith, Melo, Sehgal. 2015. Coevolutionary patterns and diversification of avian malaria parasites in African sunbirds (Family Nectariniidae). Parasitology 142(5):635-47.
[abstract & supp.mat.] [pdf here]
 
I think the split (Cinnyris whytei) and the new subspecies Cinnyris whytei skye will come somewhat late for including in the HBW and BirdLife Illustrasted Checklist as I think that the manuscript for the book is already finished. Though Jon Fjeldsa participated in both works (the paper and the book).
 
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The cafer species clade can be classified under the genus Notiocinnyris. What do phylogenetics say?
(You presumably meant afer rather than cafer?)

This is not really a group that I monitor very closely; but, so far and if we look at published genetic data, generic limits in sunbirds seem to be in a state of total mess. Unfortunately, a global analysis is lacking, and the various studies that have addressed a part of the group have been rather inconsistent in the markers they used, which makes it hard to put their results together in an attempt to build something more comprehensive. Also, although a lot of sequences are available for some species, for many others, most genes have been sequenced once only: it is generally not possible to verify that these sequences are genuine.


As far as genus-group nomenclature is concerned:
  • Notiocynniris Roberts 1922 [OD] (p.253). Also spelled "Aethocinnyris" on p.254, see Roberts 1924 [here] (p.86) for a correction/first-reviser act making Notiocinnyris correct. Originally included nominal species Cinnyris afer (L.), N. ludovicensis (Boc.), N. stuhlmanni and N. schubotzi. Type usually understood as Certhia afra L. by original designation, although original wording not fully explicit; alternatively, the same type was designated by Ridgway 1927 [here].
In the same work, we also have:
  • Microcinnyris Roberts 1922 [OD] (p.253). Type, by original designation, "Certhia chalybeus L." = Certhia chalibea Linn. Introduced as a subgenus of Notiocinnyris, hence the latter has precedence.
But, based on Lauron et al 2015, Anabathmis newtonii would appear to be deeply embedded in the same group as well, hence we should probably consider this generic name too...
  • Anabathmis Reichenow 1905 [OD]. Originally included nominal species: A. thomensis (Boc.), A. reichenbachi (Hartl.), A. hartlaubii (Hartl. ex Verr.), A. newtoni (Boc.). Type, by subsequent designation of Sclater 1930 [here] (I think that -- once in while does no harm ;) -- this won't be viewable from the US), Nectarinia reichenbachii Hartlaub.
For Anabathmis reichenbachii, only three barcodes are available (GenBank: [here]; BOLD: [here]). In ML, these cluster loosely (no support) with the only other member of the group (Cinnyris reichenowi) for which barcodes exist: it may be (or not...) that the type of the genus is part of the group as well. If it is, Anabathmis has precedence over Notiocinnyris.

I can't really say much more than this. (Perhaps the sequences associated to the description of C. w. skye might help to place the group in the family -- but they have not been released yet.)
 
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A few years ago the Miombo Double-collared Sunbird has been split up into Eastern Miombo Sunbird (Cinnyris manoensis) and Western Miombo Sunbird (Cinnyris gertrudis).

Irwin, M.P.S., Leonard, P.M. & Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R. 2014. There are two distinct, not immediately related species of Miombo Double-Collared Sunbirds: Cinnyris manoensis and C. gertrudis. Honeyguide, 60 (2): 54-61.

Apparently, few people read the Honeyguide as this split has not yet found its way into recent world bird lists.
Eastern and Western Miombo Sunbird are known to overlap widely along the Muchinga Esccarpment in Zambia and may also do so in northern Malawi, northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania. They differ in size, structure, colour, voice, nest, eggs and DNA.
 
Irwin, M.P.S., Leonard, P.M. & Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R. 2014. There are two distinct, not immediately related species of Miombo Double-Collared Sunbirds: Cinnyris manoensis and C. gertrudis. Honeyguide, 60 (2): 54-61.
Sounds interesting. Is there a way to access this paper, or could give more details, Carl?

Even Google doesn't seem to be aware that this paper or suggested treatment exists. Searching for "Cinnyris gertrudis" (with quotes) produces exactly 1 result: the present thread. Honeyguide is published by BirdLife Zimbabwe, and indices used to be placed on their website [here], but this appears to have stopped with vol. 59. GenBank has no data associated to this work that I can find.

What method did they use to conclude that DNA differ and that the two taxa are "not immediately related"? Did they include sequence data in the paper itself?
 
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History of Honeyguide

Rhodesian Ornithological Society Bulletin 1951-1961;
The Honeyguide: Bulletin of the Rhodesian Ornithological Society 1961-1974; The Honeyguide: Magazine of the Rhodesian Ornithological Society 1974-1979; The Honeyguide: Magazine of the Ornithological Society of Zimbabwe 1980-1983;
The Honeyguide: Magazine of the Ornithological Association of Zimbabwe New Series 1984-1995;
The Honeyguide: Journal of the Ornithological Association of Zimbabwe 1996-1998.
Honeyguide: Journal of BirdLife Zimbabwe 1999-2009;
Honeyguide: Journal of Zimbabwean and Regional Ornithology 2010-today
 
Here are the pdf files of the honeyguide article on miombo sunbirds.
 

Attachments

  • p. 54-61 - Miombo sunbirds - Irwin et al.pdf
    226.8 KB · Views: 163
  • centre spread ii - miombo double-collared sunbirds.pdf
    395.2 KB · Views: 196
  • centre spread iii - miombo double-collared sunbirds.pdf
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Bedankt Carl. :t:

Quite complex nomenclatural situation here. Cinnyris chalybeus gertrudis Grote 1926 [retranscription of OD] is regarded by Irwin et al as a subjective senior synonym of Nectarinia chalibea pintoi Wolters 1965, the latter [OD p.357 behind the paywall here] being a new name for Nectarinia intermedia Bocage 1878 [OD], preoccupied by Arachnethera intermedia Hume 1870 [OD] (now Cinnyris asiaticus intermedius) when these two are treated as congeneric.
C. manoensis pintoi (Wolters) is widely recognised as (at least) a valid ssp. HBW online:
Recent work indicates that pintoi is probably best treated as a separate species; occurs in sympatry with nominate along Muchinga Escarpment in Zambia; apparent ecological separation in the same zone, pintoi occupying pure miombo, with nominate found more towards rocky edge habitat with aloes; eggs and nest reported to be recognizably different from those of nominate; also, consistent morphological differences, with no evidence of intergradation.
The renaming appears to stem from a reinterpretation of the name gertrudis (type locality Songea, SE Tanzania). H&M4 made this name a synonym of manoensis, citing Cheke & Mann 2001 [here]. Irwin et al wrote that manoensis occurs exclusively in the SW of Tanzania (Mano district), all other populations in this country (incl. in Songea) being attributable to the Western Miombo DC Sunbird. If this is correct, gertrudis must be used as the valid name of the taxon under current generic limits; but, intermedius having been replaced after 1960 and the homonymy being secondary, this name is not permanently invalid: it should be reinstated if the Western Miombo DC Sunbird ceases to be treated as congeneric with the Purple Sunbird.

Re. genetic data, Irwin et al wrote:
At about the same time we were also informed by Raurie Bowie (in litt.) that a molecular assessment revealed that these two sunbirds were not even each other’s immediate relatives.
This remains unpublished, I think, but analyses that includes sequences of these birds appear in chapters 4 and 5 of Rauri Bowie's thesis:
Bowie R. 2003. Birds, molecules, and evolutionary patterns among Africa's islands in the sky. PhD thesis, University of Cape Town.
[pdf here]​
 
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Quite complex nomenclatural situation here. Cinnyris chalybeus gertrudis Grote 1926 [retranscription of OD] is regarded by Irwin et al as a subjective senior synonym of Nectarinia chalibea pintoi Wolters 1965, the latter [OD p.357 behind the paywall here] being a new name for Nectarinia intermedia Bocage 1878 [OD], preoccupied by Arachnethera intermedia Hume 1870 [OD] (now Cinnyris asiaticus intermedius) when these two are treated as congeneric.
C. manoensis pintoi (Wolters) is widely recognised as (at least) a valid ssp. HBW online

However... I just got around to looking at this issue and I notice that the BLI webpage for Cinnyris gertrudis says

Authority: (Wolters, 1965)

My guess is that they changed pintoi to gertrudis without editing the authority column in their database, but I expect there are alternative explanations.
 
Cinnyris gertrudis

A few years ago the Miombo Double-collared Sunbird has been split up into Eastern Miombo Sunbird (Cinnyris manoensis) and Western Miombo Sunbird (Cinnyris gertrudis).

Irwin, M.P.S., Leonard, P.M. & Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R. 2014. There are two distinct, not immediately related species of Miombo Double-Collared Sunbirds: Cinnyris manoensis and C. gertrudis. Honeyguide, 60 (2): 54-61.

Apparently, few people read the Honeyguide as this split has not yet found its way into recent world bird lists.
Eastern and Western Miombo Sunbird are known to overlap widely along the Muchinga Esccarpment in Zambia and may also do so in northern Malawi, northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania. They differ in size, structure, colour, voice, nest, eggs and DNA.

IOC Updates Diary Oct 12

Accept Western Miombo Sunbird
 
Arachnothera

Luke C. Campillo, Carl H. Oliveros, Frederick H. Sheldon, Robert G. Moyle. Genomic data resolve gene tree discordance in spiderhunters (Nectariniidae, Arachnothera). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 11 December 2017.

Abstract:

Reduced representation genomic sequencing methods efficiently gather sequence data from thousands of loci throughout the genome. These data can be used to test previous phylogenetic hypotheses produced from limited numbers of mitochondrial and nuclear loci that often reveal intriguing, but conflicting, results. In this paper, we use phylogenomic data to revisit recent molecular phylogenetic work that clarified many taxonomic relationships within spiderhunters, but also questioned the monophyly of this distinctive genus of sunbirds (AVES: Nectariniidae; Arachnothera). DNA sequence data were produced by target-capture sequencing of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to infer the evolutionary history of 11 species of Arachnothera and six outgroups, including the Purple-naped Sunbird (Hypogramma hypogrammicum), which previous work suggested might lie within Arachnothera. Although we recovered many different gene tree topologies, concatenated and coalescent methods of analysis converged on a species tree that strongly supports the monophyly of Arachnothera, with Hypogramma as its sister taxon.
 
Hypogramma Reichenbach, 1853 preoccupied by Hypogramma Guenée, 1852 (Lepidoptera).

Hmmm! Kurochkinegramma , my god :storm:
 
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TiF Update February 19

Spiderhunters: Based on Campillo et al. (2018), the Purple-naped Sunbird has been restored to genus Hypogramma (from Arachnothera) and is placed sister to Arachnothera.
[Nectariniidae, Basal Passeroidea, 3.02]

Hypogramma Reichenbach, 1853, is preoccupied by Hypogramma Guenée, 1852. A replacement name is available : Kurochkinegramma Kashin, 1978.
 

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