Mellisugini is one of the three

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

that make up the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Trochilinae Trochilinae is one of the six subfamilies that make up the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The subfamily is divided into three tribes: Lampornithini (mountain gems) containing 18 species, Mellisugini (bees) containing 37 species and Trochilini (e ...

in the hummingbird

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

. The other two tribes in the subfamily are

Lampornithini Lampornithini is one of the three tribes that make up the subfamily Trochilinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other two tribes in the subfamily are Mellisugini (bees) and Trochilini (emeralds). The informal name "mountain gems" has ...

(mountain gems) and

Trochilini Trochilini is one of the three tribes that make up the subfamily Trochilinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other two tribes in the subfamily are Lampornithini (mountain gems) and Mellisugini (bees). The informal name "emeralds" ha ...

(emeralds). The informal name "bees" has been proposed for this group as it includes the tiny

bee hummingbird The bee hummingbird, zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird (''Mellisuga helenae'') is a species of hummingbird, native to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. It is the world's smallest bird. Description The bee hummingbird is the smallest living ...

(''Mellisuga helenae'') that is endemic to Cuba. The tribe contains 37 species divided into 16 genera.

Phylogeny

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 of the hummingbirds published in 2007 found that the family was composed of nine major

clades A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, t ...

. When

Edward Dickinson Edward Dickinson (January 1, 1803 – June 16, 1874) was an American politician from Massachusetts. He is also known as the father of the poet Emily Dickinson; their family home in Amherst, the Dickinson Homestead, is a museum dedicated to her. ...

and

James Van Remsen, Jr. James Vanderbeek "Van" Remsen Jr. (born September 21, 1949) is an American ornithologist. His main research field is the Neotropical realm, Neotropical bird, avifauna. In 1999, he founded the South American Classification Committee.J. V. Remsen Jr ...

updated the ''

Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World The ''Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World'' is a book by Richard Howard and Alick Moore which presents a list of the bird species of the world. It was the first single-volume world bird list to include subspecies names, ...

'' for the 4th edition in 2013 they based their classification on these results and placed three of the nine clades in the

. The clades were placed in separate

which they named Mellisugini (bees),

(mountain gems) and

(emeralds). The tribe Mellisugini with the current circumscription was introduced in 2009. A subfamily Mellisuginae had been introduced by the German naturalist

Ludwig Reichenbach Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (8 January 1793 – 17 March 1879) was a German botanist and ornithologist. It was he who first requested Leopold Blaschka to make a set of glass marine invertebrate models for scientific education and museu ...

in 1854.

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 ...

studies by Jimmy McGuire and collaborators published between 2007 and 2014 determined the relationships between the major groups of hummingbirds. In the

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

below the English names are those introduced in 1997. The Latin names are those proposed by Dickinson and Remsen in 2013. The cladogram below shows the relationships between the genera and is based on a

study by Yuyini Licona-Vera and Juan Francisco Ornelas published in 2017. The results are in agreement with the phylogeny by Jimmy McGuire and collaborators published in 2014. The genus ''Calliphlox'' was found to be

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 ...

. As part of 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, the

Bahama woodstar The Bahama woodstar or Bahama hummingbird (''Nesophlox evelynae'') is a species of hummingbird endemic to the Lucayan archipelago, including the Bahamian and Turks and Caicos islands. It is named the "hummer" by locals due to a distinct humming ...

and the

Inagua woodstar The Inagua woodstar (''Nesophlox lyrura''), also called the lyre-tailed hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is endemic to the two islands of the Inagua district of ...

were moved to the resurrected genus ''

Nesophlox ''Nesophlox'' is a genus in the family of Hummingbirds. It consists of two endemic hummingbirds of the Bahamas. Species The genus contains two species: These species were formerly placed in the genus '' Calliphlox''. Molecular phylogenetic s ...

''. Later, the genus '' Philodice'' was resurrected to accommodate the purple-throated woodstar and the amethyst woodstar. The genus ''Atthis'' containing the

wine-throated hummingbird The wine-throated hummingbird (''Selasphorus ellioti'') is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Taxonomy and systematics T ...

and the

bumblebee hummingbird The bumblebee hummingbird (''Selasphorus heloisa'') is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the United States. Taxonomy and ...

was embedded within ''

Selasphorus ''Selasphorus'' is a genus of hummingbirds from Middle and North America. Taxonomy The genus ''Selasphorus'' was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William John Swainson to accommodate the rufous hummingbird which is now the type s ...

''. The genera were therefore merged and as under the rules of the

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the ...

''Selasphorus'' has priory over ''Atthis'' the two species were moved to ''Selasphorus''.

Distinguishing features

The males of most species in the tribe Mellisugini have specialized tail feathers that produce sounds during their courtship display. This is not restricted to this tribe as males in the genus '' Discosura'' belonging to the tribe

Lesbiini Lesbiini is one of the two tribes that make up the subfamily Lesbiinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other tribe is Heliantheini (brilliants). The informal name "coquettes" has been proposed for this group as the largest genus, ''L ...

(coquettes) can also produce sounds from their tail feathers. Most of the migratory hummingbirds are found in this tribe. Remarkable examples are the rufous hummingbird (''Selasphorus rufus'') that breeds as far north as western Canada and Alaska and overwinters in Mexico and the

ruby-throated hummingbird The ruby-throated hummingbird (''Archilochus colubris'') is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America for the summer to bree ...

(''Archilochus colubris'') that breeds in the eastern United States and then crosses the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

to winter in Mexico and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. There are five other long-distance migrants in the tribe: the

broad-tailed hummingbird The broad-tailed hummingbird (''Selasphorus platycercus'') is a medium-sized hummingbird species found in highland regions from western United States and Western Canada to Mexico and Guatemala. Description Medium in size, the broad-tailed ...

(''Selasphorus platycercus''), the

calliope hummingbird The calliope hummingbird ( ; ''Selasphorus calliope'') is the smallest bird native to the United States and Canada. It has a western breeding range mainly from California to British Columbia, and migrates to the Southwestern United States, Mexic ...

(''Selasphorus calliope''),

Allen's hummingbird Allen's hummingbird (''Selasphorus sasin'') is a species of hummingbird that breeds in the western United States. It is one of seven species in the genus ''Selasphorus''. Description Allen's hummingbird is a small bird, with mature adults rea ...

(''Selasphorus sasin''), the

black-chinned hummingbird The black-chinned hummingbird (''Archilochus alexandri'') is a small hummingbird occupying a broad range of habitats. It is bird migration, migratory, spending winter as far south as Mexico. Taxonomy A Hybrid (biology), hybrid between this speci ...

(''Archilochus alexandri'') and the

lucifer sheartail The lucifer sheartail or lucifer hummingbird (''Calothorax lucifer'') is a medium-sized, 10 cm long, green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers. Its habitat is in high-altitude areas of ...

(''Calothorax lucifer''). It is likely that migratory behaviour has evolved several times.

Taxonomic list

The tribe contains 17 genera.

References

Sources

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q105082007 * Bird tribes