Cladogram of the genera in Tityridae based on the results of Tello and colleagues published in 2009.[1]
Tityridae is family of
suboscinepasserine birds found in forest and woodland in the
Neotropics. The 45 species in this family were formerly spread over the families
Tyrannidae,
Pipridae and
Cotingidae (see
Taxonomy). As yet, no widely accepted
common name exists for the family, although tityras and allies and tityras, mourners and allies have been used. They are small to medium-sized birds. Under current classification, the family ranges in size from the
buff-throated purpletuft, at 9.5 cm (3.7 in) and 10 grams (0.35 ounces), to the
masked tityra, at up to 24 cm (9.5 in) and 88 grams (3.1 ounces).[2][3] Most have relatively short tails and large heads.
Taxonomy and systematics
The family Tityridae (as the subfamily Tityrinae) containing the genera Tityra and Pachyramphus was introduced by the English zoologist
George Robert Gray in 1840.[4][5]
The existence of the family Tityridae (although simply treated as a
clade) was first proposed in 1989 based on the morphology of several syringeal and
skeletal features.[7] The existence of this family has later been confirmed by multiple studies involving both
mitochondrial DNA and
nuclear DNA.[8][9][10][11][12] Evidence suggests there are two
basalclades within this family, the first including the genera Schiffornis, Laniocera, and Laniisoma (with strong
bootstrap support), and the second include Iodopleura, Tityra, Xenopsaris, and Pachyramphus (with poor bootstrap support).[13]
A
molecular phylogenetic study of passerine families published in 2019 sampled species from five genera in Tityridae. The resulting tree indicates that if the family Tityridae is defined to include the genera Oxyruncus, Myiobius and Onychorhynchus then it becomes
paraphyletic: a clade containing the genera Tityra and Schiffornis is
basal to a clade that contains the genera Oxyruncus, Myiobius, Onychorhynchus and the family
Tyrannidae.[14]
Species
The family contains 46 species divided into 11 genera:[15]
^Snow, D.; Sharpe, C.J. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Buff-throated Purpletuft (Iodopleura pipra)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
^Mobley, J.; de Juana, E. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
^Ericson, P.G.P.; Zuccon, D.; Johansson, U.S.; Alvarenga, H.; Prum, R.O. (2006). "Higher-level phylogeny and morphological evolution of tyrant flycatchers, cotingas, manakins, and their allies (Aves: Tyrannida)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40 (2): 471–483.
doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2006.03.031.
PMID16678446.
^Ohlson, J.I.; Prum, R.O.; Ericson, P.G.P. (2007). "A molecular phylogeny of the cotingas (Aves: Cotingidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 42 (1): 25–37.
doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.041.
PMID16876441.
^Chesser, R.T. (2004). "Molecular systematics of New World suboscine birds". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 32 (1): 11–24.
doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2003.11.015.
PMID15186793.