Xenicus

Xenicus
A South Island wren.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Acanthisittidae
Genus:	Xenicus G.R. Gray, 1855
Type species
Motacilla longipes [1] Gmelin, 1789
Synonyms
Pachyplichas (Millener, 1988)

Xenicus is a genus of birds in the family Acanthisittidae . It contains New Zealand wrens.

Species

• New Zealand rock wren, Xenicus gilviventris
• Bushwren, †Xenicus longipes (extinct)
• South Island stout-legged wren, †Xenicus yaldwyni (extinct) – South Island, New Zealand
• North Island stout-legged wren, †Xenicus jagmi (extinct) – North Island, New Zealand

Lyall's wren was classified as Xenicus lyalli but is quite divergent, so it is placed in its own genus, Traversia.

Taxonomy

The stout-legged wrens formed a species pair. They had reduced wings and robust legs indicating that they were adapted to a terrestrial existence and were either flightless or nearly so. ^[2] Genetic evidence has indicated that the former genus Pachyplichas is nested within Xenicus, and stout-legged wrens must have evolved from a gracile-legged ancestor. A cladogram is given below. ^[3]

	Acanthisittidae Traversia Kuiornis Acanthisitta Xenicus longipes Xenicus gilviventris Pachyplichas

References

1. "Acanthisittidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
2. Millener (1988).
3. Mitchell, Kieren J.; Wood, Jamie R.; Llamas, Bastien; McLenachan, Patricia A.; Kardailsky, Olga; Scofield, R. Paul; Worthy, Trevor H.; Cooper, Alan (September 2016). "Ancient mitochondrial genomes clarify the evolutionary history of New Zealand's enigmatic acanthisittid wrens". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 102: 295–304. Bibcode:2016MolPE.102..295M. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.038. PMID   27261250.

• Catalogue of the genera and subgenera of birds contained in the British museum. p. 31
• North Island Rifleman (Titipounamu)(above two birds) / South Island Bush Wren (Matuhi) (left centre) / Rock Wren (centre right) / Stephens Island Wren Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine by George Edward Lodge. Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Further reading

• Millener, P.R. (1988). "Contributions to New Zealand's Late Quaternary avifauna. 1: Pachyplichas, a new genus of wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae), with two new species". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 18 (4): 383–406. Bibcode:1988JRSNZ..18..383M. doi:10.1080/03036758.1988.10426464.