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Meliphagidae (1 Viewer)

Vosea

According to HBW 13, p. 502, this group was suggested to have affinities with whitemanensis by "Diamond"--which may (or not) refer to one of seven works, by two distinct authors, listed on p. 580...
The species account for Melidectes whitemanensis cites Diamond 1971 (Bird records from west New Britain) which notes...
... (M. fuscus, M. princeps, M. nouhuysi). In morphology as well as in voice Vosea is nearer the latter group, particularly M. fuscus, ...
 
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The species account for Melidectes whitemanensis cites Diamond 1971 (Bird records from west New Britain) which notes...

Thanks for the replies. I should have said recent evidence - any modern studies that have prompted the merger on TiF.

When Diamond linked Vosea to Melionyx, he presumably had no inclination that Vosea was actually related to Myzomela. It seems strange to interpret Diamond's comments on Vosea as meaning the same as "Melionyx is not related to Melidectes".
 
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Is there any evidence to support moving the Melionyx group (princeps/nouhuysi/fuscus) into Vosea?

Unless I've missed something, neither Joseph (2014) or Andersen (2013) seem to suggest this...

[Also, Melionyx [Iredale, 1956] predates Vosea [Gilliard, 1960] by four years].

TiF Update March 12:
After reconsiderable, 3 of the species moved to Vosea were returned to Melidectes
 
TiF

Joseph, Toon, Nyári, Longmore, Rowe, Haryoko, Trueman & Gardner (in press). A new synthesis of the molecular systematics and biogeography of honeyeaters (Passeriformes: Meliphagidae) highlights biogeographical and ecological complexity of a spectacular avian radiation. Zool Scr. [abstract] [supp info]

PS. Andersen et al 2014. Mol Phylogenet Evol 71: 308–315. [pdf]
John Boyd (TiF):
www.jboyd.net/Taxo/changes.html (23 Apr 2014)
www.jboyd.net/Taxo/List17.html#meliphagidae
 
Lichenostomus melanops

Alexandra Pavlova, Peter Selwood, Katherine A. Harrisson, Neil Murray, Bruce Quin, Peter Menkhorst, Ian Smales, Paul Sunnucks, 2014. Integrating phylogeography and morphometrics to assess conservation merits and inform conservation strategies for an endangered subspecies of a common bird species. Biological Conservation. Volume 174, June 2014, Pages 136–146.

[Abstract]
 
Wattled Honeyeater

Michael J. Andersen, Alivereti Naikatini & Robert G. Moyle. A molecular phylogeny of Pacific honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae) reveals extensive paraphyly and an isolated Polynesian radiation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, Accepted Manuscript. Abstract
Andersen et al 2014. Mol Phylogenet Evol 71: 308–315. [pdf]
eBird/Clements v6.9...
Wattled Honeyeater (Foulehaio carunculatus) is split into three monotypic species, following Andersen et al. (2014b): Eastern Wattled-Honeyeater (Foulehaio carunculatus); Northern Wattled-Honeyeater (Foulehaio taviuensis); and Western Wattled-Honeyeater (Foulehaio procerior).
Duncan Wright, 10,000 Birds, 27 Aug 2014: Armchair Splits in the Pacific.

[See also: English names for honeyeaters Meliphagidae.]
 
Well, they should have followed James Jobling's proposals.
They really couldn't have come up with more boring names for the Foulehaio honeyeaters.
 
Well, they should have followed James Jobling's proposals.
They really couldn't have come up with more boring names for the Foulehaio honeyeaters.

If the choice is between calling something Taveuni or Northern I know what I'll be doing! I think here though we might be missing out on the oppertunity of calling something the amazing name of Dateline Honeyeater... with an additional 'Wattled' qualifier if the Giants also get split.
 
Sadly James Jobling's proposal names them wattlebirds, and that won't work due to the presence of wattlebirds (Anthochaera) in Australia. Be interesting to see how IOC name them, and later of course HBW/BL.
 
Michael J. Andersen, Alivereti Naikatini & Robert G. Moyle. A molecular phylogeny of Pacific honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae) reveals extensive paraphyly and an isolated Polynesian radiation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, Accepted Manuscript.
Abstract

TiF Update May 10
Foulehaio Honeyeaters: Based on Andersen et al. (2014), Giant Honeyeater, Foulehaio viridis, has been split into Yellow-billed Honeyeater, Gymnomyza viridis, and Giant Honeyeater, Gymnomyza brunneirostris.
 
Myzomela

Jason M. Sardell & J. Albert C. Uy. Hybridization following recent secondary contact results in asymmetric genotypic and phenotypic introgression between island species of Myzomela honeyeaters. Evolution, Accepted article.

[Abstract]
 
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

Harrisson, Pavlova, Gonçalves da Silva, Rose, Bull, Lancaster, Murray, Quin, Menkhorst, Magrath & Sunnucks (in press). Scope for genetic rescue of an endangered subspecies though re-establishing natural gene flow with another subspecies. Mol Ecol. [abstract & supp info]

Higgins et al 2008 (HBW 13).
 
Mere Yabaki, Richard C. Winkworth, Patricia A. McLenachan, William Aalbersberg, Linton Winder, Steven A. Trewick and Peter J. Lockhart. Placing the Fijian Honeyeaters within the meliphagid radiation: implications for origins and conservation. Pacific Conservation Biology - http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/PC14932

Abstract

Understanding the evolutionary relationships of threatened species provides an important framework for making decisions about their conservation. However, unrecognised problems with the underlying phylogenetic analyses may bias the decision-making process. Recent phylogenetic studies have improved our understanding of Meliphagidae, but also indicate discordance between molecular datasets. Here, we examine the causes of this discordance using maximum likelihood tree-building and network analyses of identically sampled datasets for four genetic loci. Our results suggest that while we can be reasonably confident of relationships within species groups, discordance within and between molecular datasets tends to obscure relationships towards the base of the meliphagid tree. This ongoing uncertainty likely reflects differences in the sampling of markers and taxa between previously published analyses. To avoid the problems of conflicting data we used divergence time analyses of only the most densely sampled marker, NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 2, to investigate the age and origins of the Fijian Meliphagidae. Our analyses suggest two temporally distinct colonisations of the Fijian archipelago. The large-bodied honeyeaters arrived ~15.6 million years ago, subsequently diversifying and spreading to Tonga and Samoa. In contrast, Myzomela appears to have arrived within the last 5.0 million years. The phylogenetic results therefore imply that conserving the evolutionary diversity of Meliphagidae in Polynesia requires that effort be spread across both the currently recognised taxa and geographical range.
 

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