A test of the monophyly of the manakins (Pipridae) and of the cotingas (Cotingidae) based on morphology

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57159/1/OP723.pd

Phylogenetic analysis of the morphological and behavioral evolution of the Neotropical manakins (Aves:Pipridae).

Phylogenetic methods were used to investigate the systematic interrelationships of the Neotropical manakins (Pipridae) and the evolution of the lek display behaviors of the family. The monophyly of the piprids and the monophyly of the cotingids (Cotingidae) was tested with a phylogenetic analysis of traditional and new morphological characters. The Pipridae as traditionally defined is not monophyletic. Six genera--Schiffornis, Sapayoa, Neopipo, Piprites, Neopelma, and Tyranneutes--share derived morphological characters with other non-piprid tyrannoids. The other eleven genera of piprids--Corapipo, Masius, Ilicura, Manacus, Chiroxiphia, Antilophia, Machaeropterus, Chloropipo, Xenopipo, and Pipra--form a clade. This restricted monophyletic assemblage is recommended as a revised Pipridae. Schiffornis is a member of a clade including five other genera which were formerly placed in the tyrannids and cotingids: Laniocera, Laniisoma, Pachyramphus, Xenopsaris, and Iodopleura. Syringeal morphology was used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the piprids because of the wealth of character information available, and because syringeal morphology is less likely to be correlated with piprid display behavior than other morphological character systems, such as plumage and limb musculature. A thorough survey of syringeal morphology of the piprids documented extensive interspecific variation, which is unprecedented in any other similarly sized avian clade. A phylogenetic analysis of syringeal morphology yields a well resolved hypothesis of phylogeny for the Pipridae. Many traditional piprid genera and species groups are monophyletic, but Chloropipo and Pipra are paraphyletic and polyphyletic, respectively. Three phylogenetic analyses of the lek display behavior of the family demonstrate that these behaviors are highly phylogenetically informative. Phylogenetic patterns of behavioral diversification indicate that behavioral evolution has probably proceeded by 'Fisherian' intersexual selection, and not by 'good genes' selection.Ph.D.Biological SciencesBiologyZoologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128389/2/9001698.pd