| Melanocharis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Melanocharitidae |
| Genus: | Melanocharis P.L. Sclater, 1858 |
| Type species | |
| Dicaeum niger [1] Lesson, 1830 | |
| Synonyms | |
Rhamphocharis Salvadori, 1876 | |
Melanocharis is a genus of birds in the family Melanocharitidae that are endemic to New Guinea.
The genus Melanocharis was introduced in 1858 by the English zoologist Philip Sclater to accommodate a single species, Dicaeum niger Lesson, the black berrypecker. This is the type species. [2] [3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek μελας/melas, μελανος/melanos meaning "black" with χαρις/kharis, χαριτος/kharitos meaning "beauty". [4]
A molecular genetic study published in 2021 found that the spotted berrypecker, then placed in the genus Rhamphocharis, was embedded in Melanocharis. [5] Base on this result, the genus Rhamphocharis was subsumed into Melanocharis. [6]
The genus contains the following eight species: [6]
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