Molecular phylogenetics of babblers (Timaliidae):: revaluation of the genera Yuhina and Stachyris

The babblers (Timaliidae) form a large songbird family, which achieves its highest diversity in South-East Asia. As part of an ongoing phylogenetic investigation of this group, we focus here on the systematic position of two Asian genera, Yuhina and Stachyris, using cytochrome b, 16S and 12S sequence data. The analysis suggests that the two genera, as defined by morphological characters, are not monophyletic. The white-bellied yuhina Yuhina zantholeuca, which has been placed among the typical yuhinas by most authors, is not a babbler. The other yuhinas studied, six continental species and a species endemic to Taiwan, form a clade that includes also three species of Stachyris endemic to the Philippines. The other Stachyris are not related to this clade. and can be divided into two groups that correspond to morphological and geographical differences among the species.