TiF Update
Dufort (in press). An augmented supermatrix phylogeny of the avian family Picidae reveals uncertainty deep in the family tree.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. [
abstract]
TiF Update May 21, 2016
Woodpeckers: A number of changes have been made based on Dufort (2016). As far as general organization is concerned, Nesoctitinae has been demoted to tribe Nesoctitini within Picidae; Chrysocolaptini has been separated from Campephilini; and Picoidini has been separated from Melanerpini. All seem to be among the deeper branches of the woodpecker tree. Changes within Picoidini are based on Fuchs and Pons (2015) and Dufort (2016). The arrangment of Celeus draws on Benz and Robbins (2011).
Generic changes include the following:
The African Piculet, Verreauxia africana, has been removed from Sasia. See H&M-4 and Dufort (2016).
The Speckled Piculet, Vivia innominata, has been removed from Picumnus. See Dufort (2016).
Campethera has been merged into Geocolaptes. Dufort (2016) found that the Ground Woodpecker, Geocolaptes olivaceus, is embedded in Campethera. Since Geocolaptes (Burchell, 1832) has priority over Campethera (G.R. Gray, 1841), the combined genus must take the name Geocolaptes.
The Helmeted Woodpecker belongs in Celeus, not Hylatomus. See Benz et al. (2015) and Lammertink et al. (2016).
The Hispaniolan Woodpecker is separated from Melanerpes as Chryserpes striatus. See Dufort (2016).
The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker moves to Leiopicus from Chloropicus. It's not entirely clear whether it is closer to Dendrocoptes or Chloropicus. See Fuchs and Pons (2015).
At the species level, there are two splits. Baird's Woodpecker, Campephilus bairdii, has been split from Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Campephilus principalis. See Fleischer et al. (2007) and Dufort (2016). Sooty Woodpecker, Mulleripicus funebris, has been split into Sooty Woodpecker / Southern Sooty-Woodpecker, Mulleripicus fuliginosus, and Funereal Woodpecker / Northern Sooty-Woodpecker, Mulleripicus funebris, based on Dufort (2016). Further, the Bronze-winged Woodpecker now includes the subspecies yucatanensis. As a result, it takes the scientific name Colaptes yucatanensis as yucatanensis (S. Cabot, 1844) has priority over aeruginosus (Malherbe, 1862). These two taxa may be separate species, but more study is need here and elsewhere in the Golden-olive complex.
