A Phylogeny of the Myiarchine Flycatchers

Towards a phylogenetic framework for the evolution of shakes, rattles, and rolls in Myiarchus tyrant-flycatchers (Aves: Passeriformes: Tyrannidae)

“…Finally here, we note that the basic plumage pattern shown by most Myiarchus species except M. semirufus (i.e., dorsal and pectoral grey, yellow belly) is probably ancestral. It occurs in R. immunda and T. melancholicus as well as in Deltarhynchus flammulatus, a species we have not examined but which Lanyon (1967Lanyon ( , 1985 considered not closely related to Myiarchus, and still other tyrannids.…”

“…Their taxonomic, ecological, and behavioural diversities have received much attention (e.g., Fitzpatrick, 1985;Lanyon, 1984;Smith, 1971;Vuilleumier, 1971). Systematic research has traditionally focussed on higher-level relationships within the assemblage and has been based on internal and external anatomy (e.g., Lanyon, 1984Lanyon, , 1985Lanyon, , 1986Traylor, 1977) with contributions from DNA hybridization (McKitrick, 1985;Sibley and Ahlquist, 1985). More recently, DNA sequencing has made it feasible to examine relationships among species in some of the larger, morphologically homogeneous genera (Chesser, 2000;Roy et al, 1999).…”

“…Development of a phylogenetic framework for Myiarchus within which the history of variation in these characters can be examined is therefore a challenge well-suited to molecular methods. Lanyon (1985) formally rediagnosed Myiarchus with characters of the nest and structure of the nasal capsule and syrinx. He found that neither of three problematic species, M. validus, M. magnirostris and M. semirufus, each of which has at some time been assigned to a monotypic genus, had characters contradicting their placement in Myiarchus.…”

The evolution of leks through female choice: differential clustering and space utilization in six sympatric manakins

“…Between January 1985 and July 1987 (23 months), I color-banded 254 manakins of six species: 75 white-crowned manakins Pipra pipra pipra, 67 golden-headed manakins P. erythrocephala erythrocephala, 35 white-fronted manakins P. serena serena, 32 whitebearded manakins Manacus manacus manacus, 23 whitethroated manakins Corapipo gutturalis, and 22 thrushlike manakins Schiffornis turdinus wallacii. The family status of Schiffornis turdinus is uncertain (Wetmore 1972;Snow 1975;McKitrick 1985) and recent taxonomic studies, using protein electrophoresis, DNA-DNA hybridization or morphological analysis, no longer include the genus Schiffornis in the Pipridae (Lanyon 1985;SibIcy and Ahlquist 1985;Sibley et al 1988;Prum 1990;Prum and Lanyon 1991 ;R.O. Prum in prep.).…”

Phylogeny and Character Evolution in the Empidonax Group of Tyrant Flycatchers (Aves: Tyrannidae): A Test of W. E. Lanyon's Hypothesis Using mtDNA Sequences

“…To reconstruct intergeneric phylogenies of tyrannids, W. E. Lanyon used cranial characters (Warter, 1965) to separate genera into several major lineages, e.g., kingbirds and allies (Lanyon, 1984a), Myiarchus and relatives (W. E. Lanyon, 1985), an Empidonax assemblage (Lanyon, 1986), a flatbill and tody-tyrant assemblage (Lanyon, 1988a), and an Elaenia assemblage (Lanyon, 1988b). Within each lineage, Lanyon used syringeal morphology (Ames, 1971) to establish the limits of genera or generic groups and postulated relationships among genera by examining similarities in syringeal, cranial, and other traits such as plumage, nest type and location, and foraging mode.…”