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Alaudidae (2 Viewers)

I want to return to something I think probably was mentioned before: Mirafra javanica to include Mirafra cantillans due to a lump. One species was from Africa to India, the other China and South East Asia to Australia. Both very large areas. I feel the two dominant world checklists got the common name for these two wrong: they both reuse one of the component species names, but they could not even agree on which one (Clements uses Horsfields Bushlark, IOC uses Singing Bush Lark)! I would much have preferred a third name to clearly delineate that this was a new taxonomic entity, something that is not clear from looking at the scientific name.
Niels
 
njlarsen said:
I want to return to something I think probably was mentioned before: Mirafra javanica to include Mirafra cantillans due to a lump. One species was from Africa to India, the other China and South East Asia to Australia. Both very large areas. I feel the two dominant world checklists got the common name for these two wrong: they both reuse one of the component species names, but they could not even agree on which one (Clements uses Horsfields Bushlark, IOC uses Singing Bush Lark)! I would much have preferred a third name to clearly delineate that this was a new taxonomic entity, something that is not clear from looking at the scientific name.
Niels
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In my opinion the different sources will reconsider their decision because there is no proof that javanica and cantillans are united in a single entity
 
Jim LeNomenclatoriste said:
In my opinion the different sources will reconsider their decision because there is no proof that javanica and cantillans are united in a single entity
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I think I'm right in saying that in Alström et al 2023, they found no support for lumping.
MJB

Alström, P, Z Mohammadi, ED Enbody, M Irestedt, D Engelbrecht, Pierre-AndrĂ© Crochet, A Guillaumet, L Rancilhac, BI Tieleman, U Olsson, PF Donald and M Stervander. 2023. Systematics of the avian family Alaudidae using multilocus and genomic data. Avian Res. 14: 100095​
 
MJB said:
I think I'm right in saying that in Alström et al 2023, they found no support for lumping.
MJB

Alström, P, Z Mohammadi, ED Enbody, M Irestedt, D Engelbrecht, Pierre-AndrĂ© Crochet, A Guillaumet, L Rancilhac, BI Tieleman, U Olsson, PF Donald and M Stervander. 2023. Systematics of the avian family Alaudidae using multilocus and genomic data. Avian Res. 14: 100095​
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Yep
 
Per Alström, Zeinolabedin Mohammadi, Paul F Donald, Marianne Nymark, Erik D Enbody, Martin Irestedt, Emmanuel Barde Elisha, Henry K Ndithia, B Irene Tieleman, Derek Engelbrecht, Urban Olsson, Loïs Rancilhac, Martin Stervander, Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023;, zlad107, Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae)

Abstract
The species complex comprising the rufous-naped lark Corypha africana, Sharpe’s lark Corypha sharpii, the red-winged lark Corypha hypermetra, the Somali long-billed lark Corypha somalica and Ash’s lark Corypha ashi encompasses 31 recognised taxa across sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are extremely poorly known and some not observed for decades. Only 17 taxa have been studied molecularly and none comprehensively for morphology, vocalisations or other behaviours. Here, we undertake comprehensive integrative taxonomic analyses based on plumage and morphometrics (for 97% of the taxa), mitochondrial and nuclear loci (77%), ≀ 1.3 million genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (68%), song (many described for the first time; 52%) and additional behavioural data (45%). All polytypic species as presently circumscribed are paraphyletic, with eight primary clades separated by ≀ 6.3–6.8 Myr, broadly supported by plumage, morphometrics, song and other behaviours. The most recent divergences concern sympatric taxon pairs usually treated as separate species, whereas the divergence of all clades including C. africana subspecies is as old as sister species pairs in other lark genera. We propose the recognition of nine instead of five species, while C. ashi is synonymised with C. somalica rochei as C. s. ashi. The geographical distributions are incompletely known, and although the nine species are generally para-/allopatric, some might be sympatric.
 
Jim LeNomenclatoriste said:
Per Alström, Zeinolabedin Mohammadi, Paul F Donald, Marianne Nymark, Erik D Enbody, Martin Irestedt, Emmanuel Barde Elisha, Henry K Ndithia, B Irene Tieleman, Derek Engelbrecht, Urban Olsson, Loïs Rancilhac, Martin Stervander, Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023;, zlad107, Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae)

Abstract
The species complex comprising the rufous-naped lark Corypha africana, Sharpe’s lark Corypha sharpii, the red-winged lark Corypha hypermetra, the Somali long-billed lark Corypha somalica and Ash’s lark Corypha ashi encompasses 31 recognised taxa across sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are extremely poorly known and some not observed for decades. Only 17 taxa have been studied molecularly and none comprehensively for morphology, vocalisations or other behaviours. Here, we undertake comprehensive integrative taxonomic analyses based on plumage and morphometrics (for 97% of the taxa), mitochondrial and nuclear loci (77%), ≀ 1.3 million genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (68%), song (many described for the first time; 52%) and additional behavioural data (45%). All polytypic species as presently circumscribed are paraphyletic, with eight primary clades separated by ≀ 6.3–6.8 Myr, broadly supported by plumage, morphometrics, song and other behaviours. The most recent divergences concern sympatric taxon pairs usually treated as separate species, whereas the divergence of all clades including C. africana subspecies is as old as sister species pairs in other lark genera. We propose the recognition of nine instead of five species, while C. ashi is synonymised with C. somalica rochei as C. s. ashi. The geographical distributions are incompletely known, and although the nine species are generally para-/allopatric, some might be sympatric.
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Jim, you beat me to it! I didn't even realize that the paper had fiiiiiiiiinally been put online. Let's just say that the copyediting and typesetting process has been a complete and utter nightmare, with arbitrarily removed parentheses and heaven knows all. In any case, I dare say that this is some solid, very comprehensive, and truly integrative work that shuffles the Corpyha (ex-Mirafra) larks around a bit. Looking forward to comments, questions, and criticism in this thread! Cheers.
 
Jim LeNomenclatoriste said:
Per Alström, Zeinolabedin Mohammadi, Paul F Donald, Marianne Nymark, Erik D Enbody, Martin Irestedt, Emmanuel Barde Elisha, Henry K Ndithia, B Irene Tieleman, Derek Engelbrecht, Urban Olsson, Loïs Rancilhac, Martin Stervander, Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023;, zlad107, Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae)
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It might be of interest that Corypha is a hemihomonym (that means there is the same name in the Zoological and Botanical nomenclature. ) Corypha was previously used for a palm genus. Other examples are Oenanthe, Orestias, and Cyanea.

 
Melanie said:
It might be of interest that Corypha is a hemihomonym (that means there is the same name in the Zoological and Botanical nomenclature. ) Corypha was previously used for a palm genus. Other examples are Oenanthe, Orestias, and Cyanea.

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Yes, as authors we were aware of this, but Corypha had priority (zoological) for this clade, and following the ICZN, there's not much to do about it! Of course, if we could all agree across kingdoms... ;)
 
Martin Stervander said:
Yes, as authors we were aware of this, but Corypha had priority (zoological) for this clade, and following the ICZN, there's not much to do about it! Of course, if we could all agree across kingdoms... ;)
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Fortunately, homonymy between plants and animals is not a nomenclatural problem otherwise a lot of names would have to be changed. Quite a challenge
 
Vicente García-Navas, Martin Stervander, Per Alström, Diversification history and morphological evolution of larks, Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024;, kzae002, https://doi.org/10.1093/evolinnean/kzae002

Larks (Alaudidae) constitute one of the avian families best adapted to xeric environments, having colonized a wide suite of open habitats including deserts. Although their highest diversity is in Africa, larks occur on all non-polar continents. We tested whether larks exhibit exceptional and/or correlated shifts in the tempos of speciation and ecological trait diversification in the face of open ecological space. We employed a near-complete phylogeny and a morphological dataset including several recently recognized species. We found homogeneity in diversification dynamics across the family and evidence for a diversity‐dependent slowdown in cladogenesis, which indicates that Alaudidae may approach their “ecological limit”. We did not observe an early-burst in phenotypic diversification, as would be expected in a “classic” adaptive radiation. Our findings suggest that larks’ morphology show a high level of evolutionary conservatism and overall lack ecomorphological convergence: ecological variables (diet and habitat) —which by contrast display a higher lability— explain little of shape/size variation except beak shape. Both adaptation to aridity and dietary transitions have evolved independently in multiple lineages across subfamilies. This study supports the idea that continental radiations in open habitats may reach an equilibrium faster in comparison with those in tropical forests, due to differences in ecological opportunities.
 
Jacana said:
Vicente García-Navas, Martin Stervander, Per Alström, Diversification history and morphological evolution of larks, Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024;, kzae002, Diversification history and morphological evolution of larks

Larks (Alaudidae) constitute one of the avian families best adapted to xeric environments, having colonized a wide suite of open habitats including deserts. Although their highest diversity is in Africa, larks occur on all non-polar continents. We tested whether larks exhibit exceptional and/or correlated shifts in the tempos of speciation and ecological trait diversification in the face of open ecological space. We employed a near-complete phylogeny and a morphological dataset including several recently recognized species. We found homogeneity in diversification dynamics across the family and evidence for a diversity‐dependent slowdown in cladogenesis, which indicates that Alaudidae may approach their “ecological limit”. We did not observe an early-burst in phenotypic diversification, as would be expected in a “classic” adaptive radiation. Our findings suggest that larks’ morphology show a high level of evolutionary conservatism and overall lack ecomorphological convergence: ecological variables (diet and habitat) —which by contrast display a higher lability— explain little of shape/size variation except beak shape. Both adaptation to aridity and dietary transitions have evolved independently in multiple lineages across subfamilies. This study supports the idea that continental radiations in open habitats may reach an equilibrium faster in comparison with those in tropical forests, due to differences in ecological opportunities.
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A new genus is clearly, obviously , mandatory needed for Eremopterix hova
 

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