Myrmeciza

Myrmeciza
The blue-lored antbird ("M." immaculata)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thamnophilidae
Genus:	Myrmeciza G.R. Gray, 1841
Type species
Drymophila longipes Swainson, 1825
Species
Presently 20, but see text

Myrmeciza is a perching bird genus in the family Thamnophilidae. About 20 species have been placed here in recent times, but thus delimited the "genus" is almost certainly not monophyletic.

The species apparently form several discrete groups, at least one of which does certainly not belong here. One seems to be closer to some other genera than to the core of the present genus, but the exact affiliations of the third group as well as some others (including the type species M. longipes) are not robustly resolved.

The species and their groups are:

• Chestnut-tailed group (Pithyini)
  • Southern chestnut-tailed antbird, Myrmeciza hemimelaena
  • Northern chestnut-tailed antbird, Myrmeciza castanea
• Large dark group (close to Pyriglena)
  • Plumbeous antbird, Myrmeciza hyperythra
  • Goeldi's antbird, Myrmeciza goeldii
  • White-shouldered antbird, Myrmeciza melanoceps
  • Sooty antbird, Myrmeciza fortis
  • Blue-lored antbird, Myrmeciza immaculata
  • Zeledon's antbird, Myrmeciza zeledonia
• Patterned breast group (close to Hypocnemoides and Hylophylax)
  • Ferruginous-backed antbird, Myrmeciza ferruginea
  • Scalloped antbird, Myrmeciza ruficauda
  • White-bibbed antbird, Myrmeciza loricata
  • Squamate antbird, Myrmeciza squamosa
• Grey-headed group
  • Grey-headed antbird, Myrmeciza griseiceps
  • Dull-mantled antbird, Myrmeciza laemosticta
  • Magdalena antbird, Myrmeciza pallida
  • Esmeraldas antbird, Myrmeciza nigricauda
  • Stub-tailed antbird, Myrmeciza berlepschi
• unassigned
  • Yapacana antbird, Myrmeciza disjuncta
  • White-bellied antbird, Myrmeciza longipes (patterned breast group?)
  • Chestnut-backed antbird, Myrmeciza exsul (large dark group? grey-headed group?)
  • Grey-bellied antbird, Myrmeciza pelzelni
  • Black-throated antbird, Myrmeciza atrothorax