Myzomela

Myzomela
Samoan myzomela Myzomela nigriventris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Meliphagidae
Genus:	Myzomela Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
Type species
Meliphaga cardinalis = Certhia sanguinolenta Latham, 1801

Myzomela is a genus of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is the largest genus of honeyeaters, with 40 species, and the most geographically widespread. It ranges from Indonesia to Australia and into the islands of the Pacific Ocean as far as Micronesia and Samoa. Several species are named after the islands they were discovered or live on, and continued investigation is (as of March 2025) still increasing the number of species, both through discovery of new species (Babar myzomela M. babarensis) and conclusion that former subspecies are actually distinct species (Tanimbar myzomela M. annabellae). ^[1]

Taxonomy

The genus was introduced by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827 with Meliphaga cardinalis as the type species. This is a junior synonym of Certhia sanguinolenta Latham, 1801, the scarlet myzomela. ^{[2] [3]}

The genus contained the following 41 species as of February 2025: ^[4]

• Drab myzomela, Myzomela blasii – montane Seram, Boana (northwest of Seram) and Ambon (central east Moluccas)
• White-chinned myzomela, Myzomela albigula – Louisiade Archipelago (east of southeast New Guinea)
• Ashy myzomela, Myzomela cineracea – Umboi Island (west of New Britain) and New Britain (southeast Bismarck Archipelago)
• Ruby-throated myzomela, Myzomela eques – Raja Ampat Islands (northwest of New Guinea) and New Guinea
• Moluccan myzomela, Myzomela simplex – Morotai to Bacan Islands (north Moluccas)
• Red-tinged myzomela, Myzomela rubrotincta – Obi Islands and Bisa (central north Moluccas)
• Biak myzomela, Myzomela rubrobrunnea – Biak (Geelvink Bay islands, northwest New Guinea)
• Dusky myzomela, Myzomela obscura – south New Guinea and north, northeast Australia
• Red myzomela, Myzomela cruentata – New Guinea and New Britain (southeast Bismarck Archipelago)
• Reddish myzomela, Myzomela erythrina – New Ireland and adjacent islands (northeast Bismarck Archipelago)
• Papuan black myzomela, Myzomela nigrita – New Guinea
• New Ireland myzomela, Myzomela pulchella – montane New Ireland (northeast Bismarck Archipelago)
• Wetar myzomela, Myzomela kuehni – Wetar (east Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Alor myzomela, Myzomela prawiradilagae – montane Alor Island (central east Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Red-headed myzomela, Myzomela erythrocephala – coastal south New Guinea and north Australia
• Sumba myzomela, Myzomela dammermani – Sumba (central west Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Rote myzomela, Myzomela irianawidodoae – Rote Island (central east Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Mountain myzomela, Myzomela adolphinae – montane Bird's Head Peninsula (northwest New Guinea), central north, central east, northeast (Huon Peninsula) and southeast New Guinea
• Banda myzomela, Myzomela boiei – Babar Islands (far east Lesser Sunda Islands) and south Moluccas
• Taliabu myzomela, Myzomela wahe – Taliabu (Sula Islands, east of Sulawesi)
• Sulawesi myzomela, Myzomela chloroptera – Sulawesi and satellites
• Bacan myzomela, Myzomela batjanensis – montane Bacan Islands (north Moluccas)
• Wakolo myzomela, Myzomela wakoloensis – montane Buru and Seram (central Moluccas)
• Scarlet myzomela, Myzomela sanguinolenta – central east Queensland to south Victoria (east Australia)
• New Caledonian myzomela, Myzomela caledonica – Grande Terre and Ile des Pins (New Caledonia)
• Cardinal myzomela, Myzomela cardinalis – Makira, Rennell Island, and Temotu (=Santa Cruz Islands; southeast Solomon Islands), Vanuatu, and Loyalty Islands
• Samoan myzomela, Myzomela nigriventris – Savaii and Upolu (west Samoa) and Tutuila (west American Samoa, central Polynesia)
• Rotuma myzomela, Myzomela chermesina – Rotuma (far northwest Fiji, southwest Polynesia)
• Micronesian myzomela, Myzomela rubratra – Mariana and Caroline Islands (Micronesia)
• Sclater's myzomela, Myzomela sclateri – Karkar Island (north of central north New Guinea) and islets off New Britain (southeast Bismarck Archipelago)
• Bismarck black myzomela, Myzomela pammelaena – Bismarck Archipelago including Admiralty Islands and islets to west
• Red-capped myzomela, Myzomela lafargei – Buka Island to Isabel and satellites (north to central east Solomon Islands)
• Crimson-rumped myzomela, Myzomela eichhorni – New Georgia group (central west Solomon Islands)
• Red-vested myzomela, Myzomela malaitae – montane Malaita (southeast Solomon Islands)
• Black-headed myzomela, Myzomela melanocephala – Florida Islands, Savo Island (north of northwest Guadalcanal) and Guadalcanal (central south Solomon Islands)
• Sooty myzomela, Myzomela tristrami – Makira, Ugi Island (off northwest Makira) and Santa Catalina (or Owariki) and Owaraha (Santa Ana) (off southeast Makira; southeast Solomon Islands)
• Sulphur-breasted myzomela, Myzomela jugularis – Fiji (southwest Polynesia)
• Black-bellied myzomela, Myzomela erythromelas – New Britain (southeast Bismarck Archipelago)
• Black-breasted myzomela, Myzomela vulnerata – Timor (east Lesser Sunda Islands)
• Red-collared myzomela, Myzomela rosenbergii – montane New Guinea
• Long-billed myzomela, Myzomela longirostris – montane Goodenough Island (D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, east of southeast New Guinea)

References

1. Berryman, Alex J.; Spencer, Andrew J.; Sharma, Puja; Eaton, James A. (2025). "A taxonomic revision of Banda Myzomela Myzomela boiei (S. Müller 1843), including the description of a new species from Babar Island, Indonesia". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 145 (1): 35–48. doi: 10.25226/bboc.v145i1.2025.a4 .
2. Vigors, Nicholas Aylward; Horsfield, Thomas (1826). "Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities" (PDF). Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (in English and Latin). 15 (1) (published 1827): 170–334 [316]. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1826.tb00115.x.
3. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 350.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Honeyeaters". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 27 March 2025.