''Chrysuronia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of hummingbirds in the family

Trochilidae Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics arou ...

Taxonomy

The genus ''Chrysuronia'' was introduced in 1850 by the French naturalist

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte. Life and career ...

. Bonaparte did not specify a

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

but this was designated as the

golden-tailed sapphire The golden-tailed sapphire (''Chrysuronia oenone'') is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The golden-tailed sapphire was formerl ...

in 1855 by

George Robert Gray George Robert Gray FRS (8 July 1808 – 6 May 1872) was an English zoologist and author, and head of the ornithological section of the British Museum, now the Natural History Museum, in London for forty-one years. He was the younger brother o ...

. The genus name is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordssynonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of the golden-tailed sapphire: ''Ornismya chrysura'' Lesson, R, 1832 and ''Ornismia oenone'' Lesson, 1832. This genus formerly included only a single species, the golden-tailed sapphire. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study published in 2014 found that the genera ''

Amazilia ''Amazilia'' is a hummingbird genus in the subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in tropical Central and South America. Taxonomy The genus ''Amazilia'' was introduced in 1843 by the French naturalist René Lesson. Lesson had used ''amazilia'' i ...

'' and ''Lepidopyga'' were

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

. In the revised classification to create

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

genera, ''Chrysuronia'' was broadened to include species that had previous been placed in ''Amazilia'', ''

Hylocharis ''Hylocharis'' is a genus of hummingbirds, in the family Trochilidae. It contains two species that are both found in South America. Taxonomy The genus ''Hylocharis'' was introduced in 1831 by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie. The type speci ...

'' and ''Lepidopyga''. The genus now contains nine species: *

Shining-green hummingbird The shining-green hummingbird (''Chrysuronia goudoti'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The shining-green hummingbird wa ...

(''Chrysuronia goudoti'') – formerly in ''Lepidopyga'' *

Golden-tailed sapphire The golden-tailed sapphire (''Chrysuronia oenone'') is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The golden-tailed sapphire was formerl ...

(''Chrysuronia oenone'') *

Versicolored emerald The versicoloured emerald (''Chrysuronia versicolor'') is a species of hummingbird from central and eastern South America. Taxonomy The taxonomy is very complex and remains a matter of dispute. The nominate subspecies (''C. v. versicolor'') oc ...

(''Chrysuronia versicolor'') – formerly in ''Amazilia'' *

Sapphire-throated hummingbird The sapphire-throated hummingbird (''Chrysuronia coeruleogularis'') is a shiny metallic-green hummingbird found in Panama, Colombia, and more recently Costa Rica. The sapphire-throated hummingbird is separated into three subspecies; ''Chrysuroni ...

(''Chrysuronia coeruleogularis'') – formerly in ''Lepidopyga'' *

Sapphire-bellied hummingbird The sapphire-bellied hummingbird (''Chrysuronia lilliae'') is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The sapphire-bellied hummingb ...

(''Chrysuronia lilliae'') – formerly in ''Lepidopyga'' *

Humboldt's sapphire Humboldt's sapphire or Humboldt's hummingbird (''Chrysuronia humboldtii'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. Taxonomy and systematics Humbol ...

(''Chrysuronia humboldtii'') – formerly in ''Hylocharis'' *

Blue-headed sapphire The blue-headed sapphire or Gray's hummingbird (''Chrysuronia grayi'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. Taxonomy and systematics The blue-headed sa ...

(''Chrysuronia grayi'') – formerly in ''Amazilia'' *

White-chested emerald The white-chested emerald (''Chrysuronia brevirostris'') is a hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Brazil, the Guianas, Trinidad, and Venezuela.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook o ...

(''Chrysuronia brevirostris'') – formerly in ''Amazilia'' *

Plain-bellied emerald The plain-bellied emerald (''Chrysuronia leucogaster'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Brazil, the Guianas, and Venezuela.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook o ...

(''Chrysuronia leucogaster'') – formerly in ''Amazilia''

References

Bird genera Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte Taxa described in 1850 {{hummingbird-stub