Sylvioidea

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

The most difficult problem in establishing sylvioid monophyly has been the inclusion of Paridae (titmice) and its relatives within the superfamily. Though no study has supported that conclusion strongly, several have supported it and none have strongly contradicted it (Sheldon and Gill 1996; Barker et al. 2002, 2004: Beresford et al. 2005; Alström et al. 2006).

In addition to its traditional allies, Remizidae (penduline tits), the clade around Paridae has recently been shown to include a clade of refugees from other families, termed Stenostiridae by Beresford et al. (2005). This clade includes Stenostira (fairy warbler, previously considered a sylviid), Culicicapa (canary-flycatchers, usually considered muscicapid, but placed among petroicids by Sibley and Ahlquist 1990), and Elminia (blue-flycatchers, previously considered monarchids) (Barker et al. 2002, 2004; Beresford et al. 2005; Fuchs et al. 2006).

Monophyly of the remainder of Sylvioidea is strongly supported, though this group differs from that of Sibley and Ahlquist (1990) by inclusion of Alaudidae (larks) (Sheldon and Gill 1996; Barker et al. 2002, 2004; Ericson and Johansson 2003; Alström et al. 2006; Fuchs et al. 2006). Alaudidae, with its unexpected sister taxon Panurus (bearded tit) (Ericson and Johansson 2003; Alström et al. 2006; Fuchs et al. 2006) is strongly supported as the sister group of all remaining sylvioids (Sheldon and Gill 1996, Barker et al. 2002, 2004; Ericson and Johansson 2003; Beresford et al. 2005; Alström et al. 2006; Fuchs et al. 2006).   In the rest of Sylvioidea there is a large polytomy consisting of several genera, a few families, and one large group of families. There are still a great many sylvioid (or supposed sylvioid) genera and species yet to be sampled; more sampling of taxa and genes may resolve this polytomy and illuminate unknown clades. Beresford (2005) proposed a “Sphenoeacus group” consisting of Sphenoeacus, Sylvietta, Achaetops, Bradypterus victorini (the genus being polyphyletic), and Macrosphenus; but this was supported only weakly. Other studies, with only partly overlapping taxon samples, have produced contradictory results (Alström et al. 2006; Fuchs et al. 2006). Alström et al. (2006) found Macrosphenus to belong to Pycnonotidae (bulbuls) with strong support; however, the two studies sequenced different species, and it’s quite possible that both are right and the genus is polyphyletic.

The sylvioid polytomy includes four large clades (Alström et al. 2006). Two are the families Cisticolidae (cisticolas) and Timaliidae (babblers). Note that Timaliidae as used here includes the genera Sylvia and Zosterops; there are no families Sylviidae or Zosteropidae, following the terminology of Alström et al. (2006). A third clade includes the families Megaluridae (grassbirds) and Acrocephalidae (acrocephaline warblers) plus the monotypic Donacobius, once considered a troglodytid (Barker 2004; Alström et al. 2006). The final clade consists of a number of families: Hirundinidae (swallows), Pycnonotidae (bulbuls), Phylloscopidae (leaf warblers), Cettiidae (bush warblers), and Aegithalidae (long-tailed tits), plus the genus Hylia (Alström et al. 2006), and the last three form a subclade (Beresford et al. 2005).

References

Alström, P., P. G. P. Ericson, U. Olsson, and P. Sundberg. 2006. Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea. Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 38:381-397.

Barker, F. K., G. F. Barrowclough, and J. G. Groth. 2002. A phylogenetic hypothesis for passerine birds; Taxonomic and biogeographic implications of an analysis of nuclear DNA sequence data. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 269:295-308.

Barker, F. K., A. Cibois, P. Schikler, J. Feinstein, and J. Cracraft. 2004. Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:11040-11045.

Beresford, P., F. K. Barker, P. G. Ryan, and T. M. Crowe. 2005. African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): Molecular systematics of several evolutionary "enigmas". Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 272:849-858.

Ericson, P. G. P., and U. S. Johansson. 2003. Phylogeny of Passerida (Aves: Passeriformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data. Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 29:126-138.

Fuchs, J., J. Fjeldså, R. C. K. Bowie, G. Voelker, and E. Pasquet. 2006. The African warbler genus Hyliota as a lost lineage in the oscine songbird tree: Molecular support for an African origin of the Passerida. Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 39:186-197.

Harshman, J. 2007. Classification and phylogeny of birds. Pages 1-35 in Reproductive biology and phylogeny of birds (B. G. M. Jamieson, ed.). Science Publishers, Inc., Enfield, NH.

Sheldon, F. H., and F. B. Gill. 1996. A reconsideration of songbird phylogeny, with emphasis on the evolution of titmice and their sylvioid relatives. Syst. Biol. 45:473-495.

Sibley, C. G., and J. A. Ahlquist. 1990. Phylogeny and classification of birds, Yale U. Press, New Haven.