Stilpnia Burns, Unitt & Mason, 2016, new genus
Creators: name: Burns, Kevin J.
name: Unitt, Philip
name: Mason, Nicholas A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Passeriformes
Thraupidae
Stilpnia

description: 32. Stilpnia, new genus (Fig. 5).
Type species. Aglaia cyanoptera Swainson, 1834 (currently recognized as Tangara cyanoptera).
Included species. Stilpnia larvata (du Bus, 1846), S. nigrocincta (Bonaparte, 1838), S. cyanicollis (d’Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837), S. preciosa (Cabanis, 1850), S. peruviana (Desmarest, 1806), S. meyerdeschauenseei (Schulenberg & Binford, 1985), S. vitriolina (Cabanis, 1850), S. cucullata (Swainson, 1834), S. cayana (Linnaeus, 1766), S. cyanoptera (Swainson, 1834), S. viridicollis (Taczanowski, 1884), S. phillipsi (Graves & Weske, 1987), S. argyrofenges (Sclater & Salvin, 1876), and S. heinei (Cabanis, 1850) (Fig. 5). These species are currently placed in the genus Tangara Brisson, 1760. Although Burns et al. (2014) did not sample T. peruviana, the morphological similarities between this species and T. preciosa (Isler & Isler 1999, Hilty et al. 2011) imply that T. peruviana also belongs to this genus.
Diagnosis. Morphologically, these species can be separated from other members of the genus Tangara by their plumage patterns. Most species have either a cap or a hood that is set apart from the rest of the plumage. A black crown or cap is present in S. cyanoptera, S. viridicollis, S. phillipsi, S. argyrofenges, and S. heinei. In addition, all of these species except for S. cyanoptera have green or gold ear coverts and throats. In addition, females of all five of these species have dusky caps that contrast with green backs (Graves & Weske 1987; Isler & Isler 1999). A rufous crown or cap is present in S. preciosa, S. vitriolina, S. cucullata, and S. cayana. Although the crown of S. meyerdeschauenseei is not similarly rufous, it appears buffy and differs in color from the rest of the back (Schulenberg & Binford 1985). The three remaining species (S. larvata, S. nigrocincta, and S. cyanicollis) have blue or golden hoods that contrast with their black mantles, breasts, and eye masks (Isler & Isler 1999). Additionally, we have identified five molecular synapomorphies for cyt b (numbered by their position in the gene alignment): C12T, A72G, A210G, C774A, and T801C. Cladistically, we define this genus as the descendants of the common ancestor of Stilpnia cyanoptera and Stilpnia cucullata.
Etymology. The name, feminine in gender, is derived from the Greek στιλπνή, the feminine form of the adjective meaning “glittering” or “glistening,” alluding to the glossiness of the plumage of these colorful tanagers. Comments. Euschemon Sclater, 1851 (type species Tanagra flava Gmelin, 1789, currently Tangara cayana flava), is preoccupied by Euschemon Doubleday, 1846, the name of an Australian butterfly, and so not available.
description: Published as part of Burns, Kevin J., Unitt, Philip & Mason, Nicholas A., 2016, A genus-level classification of the family Thraupidae (Class Aves: Order Passeriformes), pp. 329-354 in Zootaxa 4088 (3) on pages 343-344, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4088.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/266311