Genus of birds
| Corythornis |
 |
| Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) |
Scientific classification  |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Alcedinidae |
| Subfamily: | Alcedininae |
| Genus: | Corythornis
Kaup, 1848 |
| Type species |
Alcedo nais
Kaup, 1848 |
| Species |
| see text |
| Phylogeny |
| Corythornis | | | Madagascar pygmy kingfisher | | | | | | | White-bellied kingfisher | | | | | | | Malagasy kingfisher | | | | | Malachite kingfisher | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cladogram based on Andersen et al. (2017)[1] |
Corythornis is a genus of small African river kingfishers.
A molecular phylogenetic study of the alcedinine kingfishers published in 2007 found that the genera as then defined did not form monophyletic groups. The species were subsequently rearranged into four genera, with four species in the resurrected genus Corythornis.[2] The genus had been introduced by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848.[3] The type species is the Príncipe kingfisher (Alcedo cristatus nais).[4] Corythornis is the sister group to the genus Ispidina containing two small African kingfishers.[1]
Species
The genus contains the following four species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
 | Corythornis madagascariensis | Madagascar pygmy kingfisher | Madagascar |
 | Corythornis leucogaster | White-bellied kingfisher | Guinea to Mali and Ghana, Nigeria to north west Angola, Bioko Island, east Congo to south Uganda and northwest Zambia |
 | Corythornis cristatus | Malachite kingfisher | Sub-Saharan Africa except for the very arid parts of Somalia, Kenya, Namibia and Botswana. |
 | Corythornis vintsioides | Malagasy kingfisher | Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros. |
References
- ^ a b Andersen, M.J.; McCullough, J.M.; Mauck III, W.M.; Smith, B.T.; Moyle, R.G. (2017). "A phylogeny of kingfishers reveals an Indomalayan origin and elevated rates of diversification on oceanic islands". Journal of Biogeography. 45 (2): 1–13. doi:10.1111/jbi.13139.
- ^ Moyle, R.G.; Fuchs, J.; Pasquet, E.; Marks, B.D. (2007). "Feeding behavior, toe count, and the phylogenetic relationships among alcedinine kingfishers (Alcedininae)". Journal of Avian Biology. 38 (3): 317–326. doi:10.1111/J.2007.0908-8857.03921.x.
- ^ Kaup, Johann Jakob (1848). "Die Familie der Eisvögel (Alcedidae)". Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen Vereins für das Großherzogthum Hessen und Umgebung (in German). 2: 71–72. OCLC 183221382.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 175.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2016). "Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers". World Bird List Version 6.3. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corythornis.
