Gruiformes and Charadriiformes (2 Viewers)

[l_raty]

Because, if ochropus is the current type species of Tringa, It doesn't say whether Linnaeus originally considered these two names to belong to two different birds. It is difficult to know what Linnaeus was thinking at this time despite the references he cited

A lot of Linnaeus' knowledge came from the earlier literature rather than from a personal experience of the birds. It was not that infrequent that he changed his mind about the interpretation of some names, which he had adopted from some earlier authors.
In the 10th edition, he cited "Tringa" from Aldrovandus, Willughby and Ray in the synonymy of his Tringa 'ocrophus' -- so it would seem that at least at this point he thought of the two names as applying to the same thing.

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

In the 10th edition, he cited "Tringa" from Aldrovandus, Willughby and Ray in the synonymy of his Tringa 'ocrophus' -- so it would seem that at least at this point he thought of the two names as applying to the same thing.

You answer one of my questions without me having to ask it

 

[njlarsen]

Tringa: Brachvogel

When I see the work "Brachvogel" I am reminded of the word brokfugle in Danish, which according to my understanding and memory of things I heard when I was young, would be used in older literature and among hunters for short-billed birds such as Golden Plovers and Lapwing.
Niels

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

A lot of Linnaeus' knowledge came from the earlier literature rather than from a personal experience of the birds. It was not that infrequent that he changed his mind about the interpretation of some names, which he had adopted from some earlier authors.

He cited his contemporaries, sometimes using their French name (this is verified in editions from 1758 and the followings) and that is why I remain doubtful as to the species for which the name "Bécasseau" was originally intended because ancient authors (including Linnaeus and Gmelin) linked it to Tringa ochropus (I don't know why, maybe a double employment name). I talked about it in old posts but it disturbs me a little.

 

[Peter Kovalik]

Nagai, K., Y. Takahashi, H. Okabe, M. Takahashi, and K. Tokita (2024) Analysis of genetic structure and genetic diversity in Japanese Grey-Headed Lapwing [Vanellus cinereus] population using mtDNA. Zoological Science 41: 290-301. Published: 8 April 2024
Analysis of Genetic Structure and Genetic Diversity in Japanese Grey-Headed Lapwing Population Using mtDNA

Abstract
The grey-headed lapwing (Vanellus cinereus) is a wading species in East Asia. However, examples of regional population dynamics and genetic research are limited. To reconsider the natural history and current status of the grey-headed lapwing in Japan, we analyzed the genetic diversity of the Japanese grey-headed lapwing population. We collected 77 grey-headed lapwing samples from 12 locations across Japan during the breeding season and three individuals during the wintering season and extracted DNA; 496-bp sequences of the ND2, which form part of the mitochondrial DNA, were determined for genetic analysis of the population. Consequently, 10 haplotypes were detected in 80 individuals, and 67 individuals, 84% of the total, shared two haplotypes, namely Vc1 and Vc2. Furthermore, the results showed that the prevalence of Vc1 was higher mainly in northern Japan, while that of Vc2 was higher mainly in southern Japan. Genetic diversity analysis showed that the overall haplotype diversity in Japan was 0.617, which is not particularly low. The sequence of Vc1 was exactly the same as that of grey-headed lapwing in China. Our study revealed the genetic structure of the grey-headed lapwing, suggesting that as the grey-headed lapwing expanded its distribution area into southern Japan, many Vc2-positive individuals migrated southward, resulting in a higher detection rate of Vc2 in southern Japan.

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

Taxonomy in flux has a substantial update focused on Charadriiformes:

Aves—A Taxonomy in Flux: Recent Changes

Avian Taxonomy

jboyd.net

Magellanic Plover: The Magellanic Plover family, Pluvianellidae, has been demoted to a subfamily (Pluvianellinae) of the sheathbill family Chionidae.
[Chionidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Thick-knees: Based on Paton et al. (2003) and Černý and Natale, (2021), the genus Burhinus is divided into three genera:

• An unnamed genus designated "Burhinus", which includes the Double-striped Thick-knee, "Burhinus" bistriatus, and the Peruvian Thick-knee, "Burhinus" superciliaris
• Burhinus itself is now reduced to a single species, the Bush Stone-Curlew, Burhinus grallarius
• Oedicnemus (Temminck 1815), type oedicnemus, the Eurasian Stone-Curlew. This genus includes all four other species formerly included in Burhinus.

[Burhinidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Stilts and Avocets: The Banded Stilt, Cladorhynchus leucocephalus, is basal in family Recurvirostridae, which has been rearranged accordingly.
[Recurvirostridae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Far Eastern Oystercatcher, Haematopus osculans: Based on Senfeld et al. (2020b), the Far Eastern Oystercatcher, Haematopus osculans, has been split from the Eurasian Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus.
[Haematopodidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Oystercatchers: Based on Senfeld et al. (2020b), the American Oystercatchers have been separated in genus Prohaematopus (Matthews 1913), type ater.
[Haematopodidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Charadriidae Genus Changes:

• The Hooded Dotterel is referred to as "Thinornis" cucullatus
• Forbes's Plover is referred to as "Afroxyechus" forbesi
• The Pied Lapwing / Pied Plover is transferred to the monotypic genus Hoploxypterus (Bonaparte, 1856)
• Vanellus is restricted to the Northern Lapwing
• Southern Lapwing and Andean Lapwing are transferred to Belonopterus (Reichenbach 1852, type chilensis)
• Until we know more, the other 20 lapwings have been placed in Hoplopterus (Bonaparte 1831, type spinosus). I did not find the total evidence tree useful here as it contradicts the available genetic data. I retained the previous arrangement of the Vanellinae, with the above genera pulled out.
• The Double-banded Plover, Anarhynchus bicinctus, is transferred to the monotypic genus Nesoceryx (Mathews, 1920).
• The New Zealand Plover, Anarhynchus obscurus, is transferred to the monotypic genus Pluviorhynchus (Bonaparte 1856).
• Finally, Ochthodromus is divided into Leucopolius (Bonaparte 1856), type marginatus, Helenaegialus (Mathews 1913), type sanctaehelenae, and Ochthodromus (Reichenbach 1852), type wilsonia.

[Charadriidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Buttonquails: The buttonquail tree was constructed by combining the species groups described by Debus (1996) with the 7-species phylogeny of Černý and Natale (2021). I was surprised there were no conflicts.
[Turnicidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Coursers and Pratincoles:

• The Double-banded Courser, previously Rhinoptilus africanus, has been transferred to Smutsornis (Roberts 1922, monotypic).
• The Gray Pratincole, Glareola cinerea, and Small Pratincole, Glareola lactea have been transferred to Galachrysia (Bonaparte 1856, type lactea). The movement that prompted this was based on DNA analyzed by Černý and Natale (2021).
• The Rock Pratincole, Glareola nuchalis, and Madagascan Pratincole, Glareola ocularis, have been transferred to Subglareola (Mathews 1913, type ocularis).
• I have restored the monotypic genus Stiltia (G.R. Gray, 1855, type isabella) which I had previously submerged in Glareola.

[Glareolidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Jaegers and Skuas: The Stercorariidae have been rearranged slightly to conform with Černý and Natale (2021).
[Stercorariidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Tropical Murrelets: The three tropical murrelets, Craveri's Murrelet, Synthliboramphus craveri, Scripps's Murrelet, Synthliboramphus scrippsi, and Guadelupe Murrelet, Synthliboramphus hypoleucus, have been transferred to genus Endomychura (Oberholser 1899, type hypoleuca).
[Alcidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Terns and Skimmers: The Terns have been promoted to a family, Sternidae, with two subfamilies, Rynchopinae (skimmers) and Gyginae (white terns). The gull and tern families form the superfamily Laroidea.
[Sternidae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Gulls and Noddies: The Noddies (Anous = Anouinae) are treated as a subfamily of the gulls (Laridae) based on the genetic trees from Černý and Natale (2021). The relevant material can be found in Figures A-3 and A-5 of the supplementary material.
[Laridae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


New Larid Genera: Based on Černý and Natale (2021), I've recognized three additional genera in the gulls:

• The Slender-billed Gull, Chroicocephalus genei, is separated from the other Chroicocephalus by about 10 million years. It is also distinctive, and I've moved it to genus Gelastes (Bonaparte 1856, monotypic).
• The division between Dolphin and Gray Gulls on one hand, and Laughing, Franklin's, and Lava Gulls on the other is about 6 million years, enough to support different genera. Moreover, they obviously form two, or even three groups. Accordingly, the Laughing, Franklin's and Lava Gulls have been moved to Atricilla (Bonaparte 1854, type atricilla). It would not be unreasonable to also split the Gray Gull, Leucophaeus modestus. In that case it would be genus Blasipus (Bruch 1853).
• The band-tailed gulls (4 species) are transferred to genus Gabianus (Bruch 1853, type pacificus).

The TiF list has adopted Figs. A-5 and A-6 from Černý and Natale for the Larus gulls.
[Laridae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]


Mew Gull: As in the AOS Supplement #62, the Mew Gull, Larus canus, is split into:

• Common Gull, Larus canus
• Short-billed Gull, Larus brachyrhynchus

[Laridae, Charadriiformes, 3.06]

I wonder if there are good arguments in favour of raising Numeniinae to family, or, even, downgrading Alcidae and Stercorariidae as subfamilies of Laridae

 

[Mysticete]

I treat Numeniidae and limosidae as full families in my checklist project

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

I treat Numeniidae and limosidae as full families in my checklist project

Because their branch is quite old but from a morphology or anatomy point of view, are there differences between them and the other Scolopacidae?

 

[Mysticete]

I think both are cohesive morphologically distinct groups when contrasted with shanks, stints, and snipe. Not sure how distinctive there skeletal anatomy is however.

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

I think both are cohesive morphologically distinct groups when contrasted with shanks, stints, and snipe. Not sure how distinctive there skeletal anatomy is however.

This could be consistent with the recognition of Pluvialidae but there are very young families which deserve to be reunited.

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

Li, Q.; Jiang, P.; Li, M.; Du, J.; Sun, J.; Chen, N.; Wu, Y.; Chang, Q.; Hu, C. Structure and Phylogenetic Relationships of Scolopacidae Mitogenomes (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae). Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46, 6186-6198.

Structure and Phylogenetic Relationships of Scolopacidae Mitogenomes (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae)

The family Scolopacidae presents a valuable subject for evolutionary research; however, molecular studies of Scolopacidae are still relatively understudied, and the phylogenetic relationships of certain species remain unclear. In this study, we sequenced and obtained complete mitochondrial DNA...

www.mdpi.com

 

[Peter Kovalik]

Proposal (979) to SACC

Revise the taxonomy of the Charadriidae (in 8 parts, A-H)

(B and G) (Oscar Johnson) DID NOT PASS

(A, C-F, and H) (Oscar Johnson) PASSED (27 July 2027)

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

Bahr (2011) and Eaton & al. (2016) suggested elevating Thinornis dubius curonicus to species rank. Does anyone know what criteria led them to suggest this idea and whether their proposal is justified?

 

[Xenospiza]

Bahr (2011) and Eaton & al. (2016) suggested elevating Thinornis dubius curonicus to species rank. Does anyone know what criteria led them to suggest this idea and whether their proposal is justified?

Bare parts coloration (curonicus has less yellow on the bill) and lack of non-breeding plumage in other ssp.
That doesn't convince me too much.
However, I should add that xeno-canto gives the impression that the calls and song can be quite different over its wide range, with the calls of the South-East-Asian populations sounding more "simplistic" than the ones from temperate Eurasia. That's based on me listening to very few recordings of varying quality!

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

Bare parts coloration (curonicus has less yellow on the bill) and lack of non-breeding plumage in other ssp.
That doesn't convince me too much.
However, I should add that xeno-canto gives the impression that the calls and song can be quite different over its wide range, with the calls of the South-East-Asian populations sounding more "simplistic" than the ones from temperate Eurasia. That's based on me listening to very few recordings of varying quality!

Ok thanks. So I don't touch it, it's in cases like this where molecular analyses are welcome lol

 

[johnallcock]

A useful discussion of some differences here: Identifying subspecies of Little Ringed Plovers
I'm not convinced it's a species-level difference, but molecular work would be informative.

 

[andrew147]

The more interesting taxon in Thinornis dubius is the neglected papuanus of New Guinea & the Bismarck Archipelago. It is very often synonymised with nominate dubius but differs significantly:

• smaller size
• very prominent eye-ring - which, uniquely, turns red when breeding
• pink base of the lower mandible at all times
• distinctive call

 

[Xenospiza]

The more interesting taxon in Thinornis dubius is the neglected papuanus of New Guinea & the Bismarck Archipelago. It is very often synonymised with nominate dubius but differs significantly:

• smaller size
• very prominent eye-ring - which, uniquely, turns red when breeding
• pink base of the lower mandible at all times
• distinctive call

Not as nice as a bird-of-paradise, but I'm all in favour .

 

[Taphrospilus]

Publishing date Anarhynchus?

OD Zoologie t.1 (1830) - Voyage de la corvette l'Astrolabe - Biodiversity Heritage Library

Avibase gives Anarhynchus Quoy & Gaimard, 1832

Title page Zoologie t.1 (1830) - Voyage de la corvette l'Astrolabe - Biodiversity Heritage Library of couse 1830

The Key to Scientific Names - Birds of the World

Species accounts for all the birds of the world.

birdsoftheworld.org

(Quoy & Gaimard 1830); "Anarhynchus Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. 'Astrolabe,' Zool., 1, 1830, p. 252

I checked Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology and there is written:

The information availble from the Bibliographie de la France which reports publication in 1832 juged erroneous by Sherbore & Woodward and yet noted that none of the new bird species described in this volume found their way into Lesson's Traité d'Ornithologie (1831) - perhaps Lesson's work was already set in type when this appeared.

See also ser.7:v.8=no.43-48 (1901) - The Annals and magazine of natural history - Biodiversity Heritage Library or https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstreams/326c8923-66a9-4aa8-a912-4c867d24059a/download p. 165

So 1832 not correct? Or is there any newer publication with more input?

 

[l_raty]

The first volume of text and the 3 first livraisons of the atlas of the Zoologie were reviewed in Férussac's Bulletin des Sciences naturelles et de Géologie in March 1831 : t.24-25 (1831) - Bulletin des sciences naturelles et de géologie - Biodiversity Heritage Library (issue dated in the footer of its first page, p. 249, and in the ToC, p. 382).

About the text, the reviewer ("F." = Férussac ?) wrote :

Le premier volume de texte que nous annonçons comprend d'abord le rapport fait à l'Académie des Sciences sur les collections zoologiques rapportées par MM. Quoy et Gaimard, et cinq rapports sur autant de Mémoires adressés par ces savans voyageurs à l'Académie, pendant le cours de leur longue traversée.
Les auteurs, suivant la méthode de M. Cuvier, commencent par les Mammifères. Le 1er. chap. est consacré à l'Homme; le 2e. offre des Considérations générales sur les Mammifères; le 3e. est consacré à la Description des espèces rapportées par l'expédition; le chap. 4 présente des Considérations générales sur les Oiseaux, et dans le 5e. on décrit les espèces observées.

(There was indeed a 'grouped' report of the publication of 3 tomes of the Histoire du Voyage, the first part of the Botanique, the first volume of the Zoologie, and 43 livraisons of various atlases, which appeared on 5 May 1832 in Bibliogr. France : Bibliographie de la France )