''Symposiachrus'' 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 birds in the family

Monarchidae The monarchs (family Monarchidae) comprise a family of over 100 passerine birds which includes shrikebills, paradise flycatchers, and magpie-larks. Monarchids are small insectivorous songbirds with long tails. They inhabit forest or woodland a ...

. Most species are endemic to islands in

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

but the

spectacled monarch The spectacled monarch (''Symposiachrus trivirgatus'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropic ...

is widely distributed and occurs in parts of Indonesia and western Australia. The genus was previously lumped together in the genus ''

Monarcha ''Monarcha'' is a genus of bird in the family Monarchidae. They are found in Australia and Melanesia. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Monarcha'' was introduced by naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827 with the black-fac ...

''.

Taxonomy and systematics

Based on the results of 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 2005, the genus ''

'' was split and 19 species moved to the resurrected genus ''Symposiachrus'' that had been introduced 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 ...

in 1854 with the

(''Symposiachrus trivirgatus'') as the

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 ...

. The genus name ''Symposiachrus'' combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

συν/''sun'' meaning "together", ποσις/''posis'' meaning "husband" and αχρως/''akhrōs'' meaning "pallid". The genus ''Symposiachrus'' contains the following twenty–one species: *

Black monarch The black monarch (''Symposiachrus axillaris'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. T ...

(''Symposiachrus axillaris'') * Spot-winged monarch (''Symposiachrus guttula'') * Black-bibbed monarch (''Symposiachrus mundus'') *

Flores monarch The Flores monarch (''Symposiachrus sacerdotum'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the western half of the island of Flores in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests betwee ...

(''Symposiachrus sacerdotum'') * Louisiade monarch (''Symposiachrus melanopterus'') *

Boano monarch The Boano monarch (''Symposiachrus boanensis''), or black-chinned monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae endemic to Indonesia. It is found on Boano island in the southern Mollucas. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tro ...

(''Symposiachrus boanensis'') *

Spectacled monarch The spectacled monarch (''Symposiachrus trivirgatus'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropic ...

(''Symposiachrus trivirgatus'') * Moluccan monarch (''Symposiachrus bimaculatus'') *

Kai monarch The Kai monarch (''Symposiachrus leucurus''), or white-tailed monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Kai Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by ha ...

(''Symposiachrus leucurus'') *

Tanahjampea monarch The Tanahjampea monarch or white-tipped monarch (''Symposiachrus everetti'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Taxonomy ...

(''Symposiachrus everetti'') *

Buru monarch The Buru monarch (''Symposiachrus loricatus'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Indonesia. Taxonomy and systematics This species was formerly placed in the genus ''Monarcha'' until moved to ''Symposiachrus'' in 20 ...

(''Symposiachrus loricatus'') *

Kofiau monarch The Kofiau monarch (''Symposiachrus julianae'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, countr ...

(''Symposiachrus julianae'') * Biak monarch (''Symposiachrus brehmii'') *

Hooded monarch The hooded monarch (''Symposiachrus manadensis'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found on New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Taxonomy and systematics The hooded monarch was ...

(''Symposiachrus manadensis'') * Manus monarch (''Symposiachrus infelix'') * Mussau monarch (''Symposiachrus menckei'') * Black-tailed monarch (''Symposiachrus verticalis'') * Solomons monarch (''Symposiachrus barbatus'') *

Kolombangara monarch The Kolombangara monarch (''Symposiachrus browni''), or Brown's monarch, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by ...

(''Symposiachrus browni'') * White-collared monarch (''Symposiachrus vidua'') *

Rufous monarch The rufous monarch (''Symposiachrus rubiensis''), or rufous monarch flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae found in western New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Taxonomy and syste ...

(''Symposiachrus rubiensis'')

Taxonomy and systematics

References

Further reading