Timaliidae (1 Viewer)

Collar 2011. Taxonomic notes on some Asian babblers (Timaliidae). Forktail 27: 100-102.

Follows up from Collar 2006. A partial revision of the Asian babblers (Timaliidae). Forktail 22: 85-112.

• Rhinocichla [Garrulax] (mitrata) treacheri treated as a species - Collar & Robson 2007 (HBW 12), Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush.
  
  
• Liocichla (phoenicea) ripponi treated as a species - Collar & Robson 2007, Scarlet-faced Liocichla.
  
  
• Jabouilleia [Rimator] naungmungensis treated as a ssp of J danjoui - Collar & Robson 2007, Indochinese Wren-babbler.
  
  
• New ssp of Blue-winged Siva: Siva cyanouroptera wirthi subsp. nov. - Bolaven Plateau, Laos.
  
  
• Reassignment of ssp woodi from Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush Garrulax [Trochalopteron] (erythrocephalus) erythrocephalus to Assam Laughingthrush G [T] (e) chrysopterus - Collar & Robson 2007 (but may change...).

Richard,
I won't see Forktail until I get back to UK. Are there any interesting changes in the westernmost taxa?
MJB

MJB said:

Are there any interesting changes in the westernmost taxa?

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No, Mike. These are the only changes, and most are already implemented in HBW 12 anyway. No impact on the OSME Region List.

Moyle R, Andersen M, Oliveros C, Steinheimer F, Reddy S (2012). Phylogeny and biogeography of the core babblers (Aves: Timaliidae). Systematic Biology.

Abstract:
The avian family Timaliidae is a species rich and morphologically diverse component of African and Asian tropical forests. The morphological diversity within the family has attracted interest from ecologists and evolutionary biologists, but systematists have long suspected that this diversity might also mislead taxonomy, and recent molecular phylogenetic work has supported this hypothesis. We produced and analyzed a dataset of six genes and almost 300 individuals to assess the evolutionary history of the family. Although phylogenetic analysis required extensive adjustment of program settings, we ultimately produced a well-resolved phylogeny for the family. The resulting phylogeny provided strong support for major subclades within the family but extensive paraphyly of genera. Only three genera represented by more than three species were monophyletic. Biogeographic reconstruction indicated a mainland Asian origin for the family and most major clades. Colonization of Africa, Sundaland, and the Philippines occurred relatively late in the family’s history and was mostly unidirectional. Several putative babbler genera, such as Robsonius, Malia, Leonardina, and Micromacronus are only distantly related to the Timaliidae.

http://datadryad.org/handle/10255/dryad.36483
https://www.birdmeetings.org/cosaousco2010/viewabstract2.asp?AbstractID=5747

"...Several putative babbler genera, such as Robsonius, Malia, Leonardina, and Micromacronus are only distantly related to the Timaliidae..."

Is there any information regarding their likely affinities?

andrew147 said:

"...Several putative babbler genera, such as Robsonius, Malia, Leonardina, and Micromacronus are only distantly related to the Timaliidae..."

Is there any information regarding their likely affinities?

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See supplementary figures: http://datadryad.org/handle/10255/dryad.36483
If you don't have PostScript Viewer you can download and install e.g. GPL Ghostscript (then you must download and install GSview for your OS too).

Peter Kovalik said:

If you don't have PostScript Viewer you can download and install e.g. GPL Ghostscript (then you must download and install GSview for your OS too).

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Or ... see attachment.

1st page: Average Standard Deviation of Split Frequencies plot.
2nd page: Consensus tree from Bayesian analysis of the mtDNA alone.
3rd page: Consensus tree from Bayesian analysis of the MUSK intron alone.
4th page: Consensus tree from Bayesian analysis of the Fibrinogen 5 intron alone.
5th page: Consensus tree from Bayesian analysis of the TGF5 intron alone.

Daniel Philippe said:

Or ... see attachment.

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A marvellous mishmash of babblers clade. :-C

Awesome! Too bad we cannot see the tree presented in the article yet. Systematic Biology does not seem to have early online papers.

So is Robsonius really a Bradypterus/Locustella? The song and its furtiveness would certainly fit.

Moyle et al

Peter Kovalik said:

Moyle R, Andersen M, Oliveros C, Steinheimer F, Reddy S (2012). Phylogeny and biogeography of the core babblers (Aves: Timaliidae). Systematic Biology.

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Published online 10 Feb 2012 (advance access): [abstract]

Richard Klim said:

Published online 10 Feb 2012 (advance access): [abstract]

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Does anyone have the full paper?
Would be very interested to read it!

Stachyris rodolphei

... is back.

I thought it was an aberrant Stachyris (now Cyanoderma) r. rufifrons.

:eek!:

Daniel Philippe said:

... is back.

I thought it was an aberrant Stachyris (now Cyanoderma) r. rufifrons.

:eek!:

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IOC still has it as Stachyridopsis rodolphei at the last count.

It will be interesting to read this paper in full

Taxonomic Recommendations

Moyle R, Andersen M, Oliveros C, Steinheimer F, Reddy S (2012). Phylogeny and biogeography of the core babblers (Aves: Timaliidae). Systematic Biology.
Taxonomic recommendations:

Timaliidae

1. Timaliinae
- Timalia (pileata)
- Mixornis ([Macronus] gularis, flavicollis, kelleyi)
- Dumetia (hyperythra)
- Rhopocichla (atriceps)
- Macronus (striaticeps, ptilosus)
- Cyanoderma ([Stachyris] chrysaeum, erythropterum, melanothorax, pyrrhops, ruficeps, ambiguum, rufifrons)
- Spelaeornis (caudatus, badeigularis, troglodytoides, formosus, chocolatinus, longicaudatus)
- Pomatorhinus (ferruginosus, ochraceiceps, ruficollis, horsfieldii, schisticeps, montanus, [Xiphirhynchus] superciliaris)
- Megapomatorhinus ([Pomatorhinus] hypoleucos, erythrocnemis, erythrogenys, swinhoei)
- Stachyris (grammiceps, nigricollis, maculata, nigriceps, poliocephala, leucotis, thoracica, oglei, striolata, rodolphei, herberti, nonggangensis, [Sphenocichla] humei)

2. Pellorneinae
- Malacopteron (palawanense, magnirostre, affine, cinereum, magnum, albogulare)
- Gampsorhynchus (rufulus)
- Schoeniparus ([Alcippe] cinereus, castaneceps, rufogularis, brunneus, dubius)
- Illadopsis (fulvescens, rufipennis, pyrrhoptera, cleaveri, albipectus, rufescens, puveli, [Ptyrticus] turdina)
- Pellorneum (ruficeps, capistratum, fuscocapillus, palustre, albiventre, tickelli, pyrrogenys, [Malacocincla] malaccense, cinereiceps, [Trichastoma] rostratum, celebense, bicolor)
- Kenopia (striata)
- Napothera (epilepidota, [Jabouilleia] danjoui, naungmungensis, [Rimator] malacoptila)
- Ptilocichla (leucogrammica, mindanensis, falcata)
- Turdinus ([Malacocincla] abbotti, sepiarius, perspicillatus, [Napothera] macrodactylus, rufipectus, atrigularis, marmoratus, crispifrons, brevicaudatus, crassus)
- Graminicola (bengalensis)

3. Leiothrichinae
- Alcippe (variegaticeps, ludlowi, brunneicauda, poioicephala, morrisonia, pyrrhoptera, peracensis, nipalensis, grotei)
- Grammatoptila ([Garrulax] striata)
- Cutia (nipalensis)
- Turdoides (nipalensis, altirostris, caudata, earlei, gularis, longirostris, malcolmi, squamiceps, fulva, aylmeri, rubiginosa, subrufa, striata, rufescens, affinis, reinwardtii, tenebrosa, sharpie, hartlaubii, melanops, squamulata, leucopygia, bicolor, hypoleuca, hindei, leucocephala, plebejus, jardineii, gymnogenys, [Kupeornis] gilberti, rufocincta, chapini, [Phyllanthus] atripennis)
- Garrulax (cinereifrons, palliatus, rufifrons, perspicillatus, leucolophus, monileger, lugubris, strepitans, milleti, maesi, merulinus, canorus)
- Ianthocincla ([Garrulax] sukatschewi, cineracea, rufogularis, konkakinhensis, ocellata, lunulata, bieti, maxima, pectoralis, albogularis, ruficollis, nuchalis, chinensis, vassali, galbana, delesserti, gularis, davidi, caerulata, poecilorhyncha, mitrata, sannio, [Babax] lanceolata, waddelli, koslowi)
- Trochalopteron ([Garrulax] cachinnans, jerdoni, lineatum, virgatum, subunicolor, austeni, squamatum, elliotii, variegatum, henrici, affinis, morrisonianum, erythrocephalum, ngoclinhensis, yersini, formosum, milnei)
- Heterophasia (capistrata, gracilis, melanoleuca, desgodinsi, auricularis, pulchella, picaoides)
- Leiothrix (argentauris, lutea)
- Minla (ignotincta, [Heterophasia] annectans)
- Crocias (langbianis, albonotatus)
- Liocichla (omeiensis, bugunorum, steerii, phoenicea)
- Actinodura (sodangorum, nipalensis, waldeni, souliei, morrisoniana, egertoni, ramsayi, [Minla] cyanouroptera, strigula)

Peter Kovalik said:

- Trochalopteron ([Garrulax] cachinnans, jerdoni, lineatum, virgatum, subunicolor, austeni, squamatum, elliotii, variegatum, henrici, affinis, morrisonianum, erythrocephalum, ngoclinhensis, yersini, formosum, milnei)

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It seems churlish to nit-pick such an impressive work, but Trochalopteron affinis should probably be T affine.

Richard Klim said:

It seems churlish to nit-pick such an impressive work, but Trochalopteron affinis should probably be T affine.

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Churlish? It is what we do best nit picking. The bird was described by Houghton in Blyth as Garrulax? affinis. Crateropus affinis, Hodgs. Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1843, 950. Jerdon did call it Trochalopteron affine. The Birds of India being a natural history of all the birds known to inhabit... p. 46. Garrulax is male. Trochalopteron is neutral. I guess Crateropus is male. Hodgson called it the Allied Garrulax. I wonder if there is some rule that does not require it to be the neutral form? Allied or affinity is an adjective so it must be the same gender of the genus?

Gelang, M., 2012. Babblers, biogeography and Bayesian reasoning. Department of Zoology - Stockholm University: i-v, 1-15.

Full thesis (pdf format) available from there.

The one genus missing in the new Moyle et al. study is Crocias. They place it between Minla (including Red-tailed Minla and Rufous-backed Sibia) and Liocichla. There is no explanation provided for this. Any idea why this is? (It looks a bit like Rufous-backed Sibia, is that why?)

I am confused of the use of Turdinus --> Turdinus ([Malacocincla] abbotti, sepiarius, perspicillatus, [Napothera] macrodactylus, rufipectus, atrigularis, marmoratus, crispifrons, brevicaudatus, crassus)

The Taxonomy in Flux website uses Turdines for marmoratus, macrodactylus, rufipectus, atrigularis and not the other taxa (based on Collar HBW I presume). Given the sampling in Moyle and the other three studies cited to justify the taxonomic recommendations, the conclusion to include the other taxa cannot be made. Am I missing something? The only reason I can come up with is that Graminicola, excluded in the presented data and sister to macrodactylus in Gelang et al 2009 hinted towards this...