Sparrow-weaver

The sparrow-weavers (Plocepasser) are a genus of birds in the family Ploceidae (weavers), but some taxonomic authorities place them in the family Passeridae (Old World sparrows).

Sparrow-weaver
White-browed sparrow-weaver, Plocepasser mahali
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Ploceidae
Genus: Plocepasser
A. Smith, 1836
Synonyms
  • Philagrus
  • Ploceopasser
  • Ploceuspasser[1]

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Plocepasser contains the following species:[1]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Plocepasser mahaliWhite-browed sparrow-weavernorthern South Africa, its range includes Botswana, northern and central Namibia, and western Zimbabwe
Plocepasser superciliosus Chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaverBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Plocepasser donaldsoniDonaldson Smith's sparrow-weaverEthiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
Plocepasser rufoscapulatusChestnut-backed sparrow-weaverAngola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Zambia.

Phylogeny

Based on recent DNA-analysis (which only included P. mahali), the genus Plocepasser belongs to the group of sparrow weavers (subfamily Plocepasserinae), and is most related to the clade that consists of Philetairus socius and the genus Pseudonigrita. This clade is sister to the most basic genus of the subfamily, Sporopipes.[2] Provided that genera are correct clades, the following tree expresses current insights.

family Ploceidae
subfamily Amblyospizinae

Amblyospiza albifrons

 
 
 
subfamily Plocepasserinae
 

Sporopipes

 
 
 

Plocepasser

 
 
 

Philetairus socius

 
 

Pseudonigrita

 
 
 
 
 
 
subfamily Bubalornithinae
 

Dinemellia dinemelli

 
 

Bubalornis

 
 
subfamily Ploceinae

all other weaverbirds

 
 
 
 

References
  1. "Plocepasser Smith, A, 1836". Global Biodivedrsity Information Facility. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  2. De Silva, Thilina N.; Peterson, A. Townsend; Bates, John M.; Fernandoa, Sumudu W.; Girard, Matthew G. (2017). "Phylogenetic relationships of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae): A first robust phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 109: 21–32. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.013. PMID 28012957.


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