Myrmotherula

Myrmotherula
Unicolored antwren (Myrmotherula unicolor)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thamnophilidae
Genus:	Myrmotherula Sclater, PL, 1858
Type species
Muscicapa pygmaea[1] Gmelin, 1789
Species
See text

Myrmotherula is a genus of insectivorous passerine birds in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. These are all small antbirds, measuring 9–11.5 cm (3.5–4.5 in).

The genus was erected by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1858.[2] The type species is the pygmy antwren.[3]

The genus currently contains the following species:[4]

Streaked group:

Image	Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
	Moustached antwren	Myrmotherula ignota	western Amazonia and Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
	Pygmy antwren	Myrmotherula brachyura	Amazonia
	Guianan streaked antwren	Myrmotherula surinamensis	Giuana Shield
-	Amazonian streaked antwren	Myrmotherula multostriata	Amazonia
	Pacific antwren	Myrmotherula pacifica	Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
	Cherrie's antwren	Myrmotherula cherriei	northern Amazonia
	Klages's antwren	Myrmotherula klagesi	Branco and lower Amazon River
	Stripe-chested antwren	Myrmotherula longicauda	eastern foothills of northern Andes
-	Yellow-throated antwren	Myrmotherula ambigua	north of upper Rio Negro
-	Sclater's antwren	Myrmotherula sclateri	southern Amazonia

Grey group:

Image	Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
	White-flanked antwren	Myrmotherula axilliaris	Central America and northern South Amrica
	Silvery-flanked antwren	Myrmotherula luctuosa	Atlantic Forest
-	Slaty antwren	Myrmotherula schisticolor	Central America and Northern Andes
-	Rio Suno antwren	Myrmotherula sunensis	sparse range across western Amazonia
	Salvadori's antwren	Myrmotherula minor	mid Atlantic Forest
	Long-winged antwren	Myrmotherula longipennis	Amazonia
-	Band-tailed antwren	Myrmotherula uristicta	Bahia coastal forests
	Ihering's antwren	Myrmotherula iheringi	southern Amazonia
-	Rio de Janeiro antwren	Myrmotherula fluminensis	Serra dos Órgãos
-	Yungas antwren	Myrmotherula grisea	Yungas
	unicolored antwren	Myrmotherula unicolor	southern Atlantic Forest
-	Alagoas antwren	Myrmotherula snowi	Pernambuco coastal forests
-	Plain-winged antwren	Myrmotherula behni	tepuis and sparsely across northern Andes
	Grey antwren	Myrmotherula menestriesii	Amazonia
	Leaden antwren	Myrmotherula assimilis	riverine Amazonia

Several species previously included in this genus as the "stipple-throated group" have now been transferred to a new genus, Epinecrophylla based on a 2006 study of nest architecture, foraging behaviour and vocal repertoire.[4][5] A molecular genetic study published in 2012 found that the genus was not monophyletic.[6] As a step in creating monophyletic genera, two species that were only distantly related to the other members of Myrmotherula, the rufous-bellied antwren and the plain-throated antwren, were moved to the newly erected genus Isleria.[4][6] A further study published in 2014 confirmed that the species remaining in Myrmotherula formed a paraphyletic group with respect to the genera Terenura, Formicivora, Stymphalornis and Myrmochanes.[7]

References

1. "Thamnophilidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
2. Sclater, Philip Lutley (1858). "Synopsis of the American Ant-birds (Formicariidae). Part II containing the Formicivorinae or Ant-wrens". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 26: 232–254 [234].
3. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1951). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 7. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 188.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Antbirds". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
5. Isler, M.L.; Lacerda, D.R.; Isler, P.R.; Hackett, S.J.; Rosenberg, K.V.; Brumfield, R.T. (2006). "Epinecrophylla, a new genus of antwrens (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 119 (4): 522–527. doi:10.2988/0006-324X(2006)119[522:EANGOA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86322876.
6. Bravo, G.A.; Chesser, R.T.; Brumfield, R.T. (2012). "Isleria, a new genus of antwren (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)". Zootaxa. 3195: 61–67. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3195.1.5.
7. Bravo, G.A.; Remsen, J.V.; Brumfield, R.T. (2014). "Adaptive processes drive ecomorphological convergent evolution in antwrens (Thamnophilidae)". Evolution. 68 (10): 2757–2774. doi:10.1111/evo.12506. PMID 25135629. S2CID 25309573. See also Supporting Information Figure S.1