Meliphagoidea
| Meliphagoidea | |
|---|---|
| |
Meliphagidae )
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Suborder: | Passeri |
| Superfamily: | Meliphagoidea |
| Families | |
|
Dasyornithidae Meliphagidae Maluridae Pardalotidae (but see text)and see text | |
Meliphagoidea is a
genera and species
.
Systematics
This group was proposed based on the
Families
- Family Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens
- Family Dasyornithidae: bristlebirds. Formerly in Acanthizidae.
- Family Acanthizidae: scrubwrens, thornbills and gerygones
- Family Pardalotidae: pardalotes (but see below)
- Family Meliphagidae: honeyeaters
plesiomorphy
has long misled researchers about the pardalotes' affiliations.The
monotypic families with a mere six species in total, and so keeping the spinebills within the Meliphagidae and possibly merging the pardalotes therein as well seems to be a more sensible course of action.[3]
The
Petroicidae (Australasian "robins") in the Meliphagoidea. This is now no longer favoured; as more recent work show that they form a distinct lineage of uncertain relationships; all that can be said at present with reasonable certainty is that the Petroicidae are neither Passerida ("advanced" songbirds) nor a very ancient songbird group.[3]
References
Further reading
- Ford, H.A. (2001). "Family Meliphagidae honeyeaters and Australian chats" (PDF). In Higgins, Peter J.; Peter, Jeffrey M.; Steele, W.K. (eds.). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 5: Tyrant-flycatchers to Chats. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 457–461. ISBN 0-19-553258-9.
External links
- Meliphagoidea - Highlighting relationships of Maluridaeon Tree Of Life Web Project