Sciaphylax
Male southern chestnut-tailed antbird (Sciaphylax hemimelaena)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thamnophilidae
Genus: Sciaphylax
Bravo, Isler, ML & Brumfield, 2013
Type species
Myrmeciza hemimelaena
Sclater, 1857

Sciaphylax is a genus of passerine birds in the family Thamnophilidae.

The genus contains two species:[1]

These species were formerly included in the genus Myrmeciza. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that Myrmeciza was polyphyletic.[2] In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera, the two chestnut-tailed antbirds was moved to a newly erected genus Sciaphylax. The type species is the southern chestnut-tailed antbird.[1] The name of the new genus combines the Ancient Greek words skia "shadow" and phylax "a watcher".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Antbirds". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b Isler, M.L.; Bravo, G.A.; Brumfield, R.T. (2013). "Taxonomic revision of Myrmeciza (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae) into 12 genera based on phylogenetic, morphological, behavioral, and ecological data" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3717 (4): 469–497. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3717.4.3. PMID 26176119.


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