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Meliphagidae (1 Viewer)

The split of White naped Honeyeater has been regarded as a possibility for some time. Indeed one of the Australian field guides already shows it as a separate species. However the comment that White-throated Honeyeaters may comprise more than one species is interesting - AFAIK I don't think anyone saw that one coming.

If anyone has a copy of the paper they could send me I'd appreciate it. I am particularly interested if they looked at the issue of whether Black-chinned should be split (with the inland / northern form becoming Golden-backed).

Murray
 

I'd never heard of the species before, but I was quite sad to read the renaming quoted below on John Boyd's site:

"Also, the Graceless Honeyeater, Meliarchus sclateri, is renamed Makira Honeyeater as in IOC 2.5.
[Meliphagidae, Paracorvids, 2.55]"

If only birds could keep their less prosaic names sometimes, away from listers' globalisation schemes!
 
I'd never heard of the species before, but I was quite sad to read the renaming quoted below on John Boyd's site:

"Also, the Graceless Honeyeater, Meliarchus sclateri, is renamed Makira Honeyeater as in IOC 2.5.
[Meliphagidae, Paracorvids, 2.55]"

If only birds could keep their less prosaic names sometimes, away from listers' globalisation schemes!
In contrast, I only ever knew it as San Cristobal Melidectes (San Cristobal is the old name for the island of Makira), and have no idea who came up with the rather unkind "Graceless" (but that must have been recently too!) and the non-descriptive "Honeyeater" (probably the person who decided it wasn't a Melidectes).

The honeyeaters' arrangement was completely changed... a lot of work on the old list.
 
In contrast, I only ever knew it as San Cristobal Melidectes (San Cristobal is the old name for the island of Makira), and have no idea who came up with the rather unkind "Graceless" (but that must have been recently too!) and the non-descriptive "Honeyeater" (probably the person who decided it wasn't a Melidectes).
BLI, Clements, Dickinson 2003, Monroe & Sibley 1993 and HBW all use the former island name San Cristobal - but Dutson et al (and IOC) have clearly decided that it's more appropriate to use Makira.

Richard
 
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BLI, Clements, Dickinson 2003, Monroe & Sibley 1993 and HBW all use the former island name San Cristobal - but Dutson et al (and IOC) have clearly decided that it's more appropriate to use Makira.

Richard

Probably to avoid confusion with San Cristobal-Galápagos, an island with an endemic mocker already named after it.
 
Graceful Honeyeater, Meliphaga gracilis .
Ptilotis gracilis Gould, 1866, Cape York, north Queensland, Australia
Used to be called the Little Yellow-spotted Honey-eater.

To counter this name, I guess someone called the bird M. sclateri, graceless? Gould in Birds of New Guinea called it Sclater’s Honey-eater. Maybe graceless is a comment on Sclater who was a lawyer. I have seen M. sclateri as Ghakou Honeyeater. Originally named as Philomon sclateri by G. R. Gray:
http://books.google.com/books?id=m7...Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Philemon Sclateri&f=false .

Then Finn Salomonsen in 1967 put it in Melidectes but I think Mayr & Diamond recently (2001) said it was an odd Honeyeater??

I must add in relation to SS Stephen & Bartholomew Saint Christopher is also one of my favorites as he is often painted having the head of a dog!
 
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Not only Meliphagidae

Nyári & Joseph. Systematic dismantlement of Lichenostomus improves the basis for understanding relationships within the honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) and historical development of Australo-Papuan bird communities. Emu: in press.
www.publish.csiro.au/view/journals/dsp_journals_pip_abstract.cfm?nid=97&ver=3&pip=MU10047

Richard

A. S. Nyári, 2011. Origin and evolution of the unique Australo-Papuan mangrove- restricted avifauna: novel insights form molecular phylogenetic and comparative phylogeographic analyses. Dissertation. University of Kansas.
Chapter 1: Phylogenetic relationships of fantails (Aves: Rhipiduridae)
Chapter 2: Systematic dismantlement of Lichenostomus improves the basis for understanding relationships within the honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) and historical development of Australo-Papuan bird communities
Chapter 3: Multilocus analysis of the Gerygone warblers (Aves: Acanthizidae): phylogenetic relationships, taxonomy and their evolution into the mangroves
Chapter 4: Comparative phylogeography of Australo-Papuan mangrove-restricted and mangrove-associated avifaunas

Abstract
PDF
 
Acanthizids

A. S. Nyári, 2011. Origin and evolution of the unique Australo-Papuan mangrove- restricted avifauna: novel insights form molecular phylogenetic and comparative phylogeographic analyses. Dissertation. University of Kansas.

Chapter 3: Multilocus analysis of the Gerygone warblers (Aves: Acanthizidae): phylogenetic relationships, taxonomy and their evolution into the mangroves

Towards a phylogeny of Acanthizidae:
- Gerygone cinerea is a member of the genus Acanthiza
- Oreoscopus gutturalis and the rest of the family Acanthizidae are not monophyletic as a clade with respect to Pardalotus spp (Pardalotidae), but see Gardner et al, 2010
 
Grey Friarbird

Trainor & King 2011. Taxonomic review: How distinctive is the Kisar (Grey) Friarbird Philemon kisserensis compared with the Little Friarbird P. citreogularis? BirdingASIA 16: 94-96.
Conclusion
The Kisar Friarbird (Plate 3) and also Brass's Friarbird (Plate 5) is morphologically very similar to the Little Friarbird (Plate 4), but its different vocalisations (based on a small sample) provide some evidence of distinctiveness, notwithstanding the ability of isolated songbird populations to learn vocalisations. Genetic analyses and the analysis of a larger sample of vocalisations are now needed to resolve the status of these taxa.
Philemon [citreogularis] kisserensis is recognised as a species by HBW, IOC and Cornell (Clements/eBird); but not by H&M3 or BLI.

Higgins et al 2008 (HBW 13).
PS. BirdingASIA 16 (Dec 2011) also includes the regular useful round-up of suggested taxonomic changes...
  • Inskipp, Collar, Mahood & Pilgrim 2011. Taxonomic update: Species-level and other interesting changes suggested for Asian birds, 2010. BirdingASIA 16: 51-61.
 
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Gerygone warblers

A. S. Nyári, 2011. Origin and evolution of the unique Australo-Papuan mangrove- restricted avifauna: novel insights form molecular phylogenetic and comparative phylogeographic analyses. Dissertation. University of Kansas.
Chapter 3: Multilocus analysis of the Gerygone warblers (Aves: Acanthizidae): phylogenetic relationships, taxonomy and their evolution into the mangroves
Abstract
PDF

Nyári & Joseph 2012. Evolution in Australasian mangrove forests: Multilocus phylogenetic analysis of the Gerygone warblers (Aves: Acanthizidae). PLoS ONE 7(2): e31840. [pdf]
 

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