''Sphenopsis'' is a
genus of warbler-like birds in the tanager family
Thraupidae. They are found in highland forest of
South America.
Taxonomy and species list
The four species now placed in this genus were formerly assigned to the genus ''Hemispingus''. 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 ''Hemispingus'' was
polyphyletic and as part of the subsequent rearrangement, the genus ''Sphenopsis'' was resurrected for these four species.
The genus had been introduced in 1862 by the English zoologist
Philip Sclater with the
type species as ''Sphenopsis ignobilis'', a taxon that is now treated as a
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the
oleaginous hemispingus.
[ The name ''Sphenopsis'' combines the Ancient Greek ''sphēn'' meaning "wedge" with ''opsis'' meaning "appearance".][
]
References
Bird genera
Taxa named by Philip Sclater
{{Thraupidae-stub