Systematic Relationships among the Emberizid Sparrows

Abstract

We developed a phylogeny for 34 taxa (species, species groups, or genera) in the Emberizidae, including all of those placed in the first group of the Emberizidae by Paynter and Storer (1970). Structural, plumage-related, behavioral, oological, and allozymic characters were employed. The lateroventral process of the laterosphenoid, a skeletal feature not previously used in comparative anatomy among passerines, also was included. Majority- rule, strict-consensus, and bootstrapped maximum-parsimony trees were constructed. Phy- logenies uncovered were in fairly close agreement with previously published work that used molecular data, although the Old World bunting clade (Emberiza, Melophus, Plectrophenax, Calcarius, etc.) was basal to all other emberizid sparrows examined. The majority-rule and strict-consensus phylogenies supported the monophyly of all currently accepted genera (e.g. Aimophila, Ammodramus, Spizella, and Zonotrichia), provided that Amphispiza quinquestriata is placed in the genus Aimophila. In some cases, however, the monophyly was weak (e.g. Melospiza, especially M. melodia vs. Passerella), and for others (e.g. Ammodramus) more work is needed to establish fully the intrageneric relationships. Received 11 March 1997, accepted 3