''Myrmotherula'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of insectivorous

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

birds in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. These are all small antbirds, measuring . The genus was erected by the English zoologist

Philip Sclater Philip Lutley Sclater (4 November 1829 – 27 June 1913) was an England, English lawyer and zoologist. In zoology, he was an expert ornithologist, and identified the main zoogeographic regions of the world. He was Secretary of the Zoological ...

in 1858. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

is the pygmy antwren. The genus currently contains the following species: Streaked group: Grey group: Several species previously included in this genus as the "stipple-throated group" have now been transferred to a new genus, ''

Epinecrophylla The ''stipplethroats'' are a South and Central American genus of passerine birds in the antbird, antbird family Thamnophilidae. They were previously included in the genus ''Myrmotherula'' as the "stipple-throated group". Characteristics Molecula ...

'' based on a 2006 study of nest architecture, foraging behaviour and vocal repertoire. A molecular genetic study published in 2012 found that the genus was not

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

. As a step in creating monophyletic genera, two species that were only distantly related to the other members of ''Myrmotherula'', the rufous-bellied antwren and the plain-throated antwren, were moved to the newly erected genus ''

Isleria ''Isleria'' is a genus of insectivorous birds in the antbird, antbird family, Thamnophilidae. Species The genus contains two species: These species were formerly placed in the genus ''Myrmotherula''. A molecular genetic study published in 2012 ...

''. A further study published in 2014 confirmed that the species remaining in ''Myrmotherula'' formed a

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

group with respect to the genera '' Terenura'', ''

Formicivora ''Formicivora'' is a genus of insectivorous birds in the antbird, antbird family, Thamnophilidae. These relatively small, long-tailed antbirds are strongly sexually dichromatic. They are found in semi-open habitats in woodland and shrub in South ...

'', '' Stymphalornis'' and '' Myrmochanes''. See also Supporting Information Figure S.1

References

Bird genera Taxa named by Philip Sclater Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Thamnophilidae-stub