Neognathae
From EvoWiki
Neognathae
Neognathae is a superorder, subsuming all extant birds to the exclusion of ratites, and is equivalent to Neoaves sensu Sibley & Ahlquist (1990). Though apomorphy based definitions are often shunned, Neognathae is united by the shared presence of a neognathous palate, which in turn consists of three distinct morphotypes:
Neognathae represents one branch of a basal divergence in the class Aves, with the other represented by the paleognathous assemblage. The phylogeny of Neognathae is hotly contested, and there is little consensus on the higher phylogenetic relationships of the neognathous birds. Though not beyond dispute (e.g., Galloanserae: A Critical Examination), a growing body of data both morphological (e.g., Livezey & Zusi 2001) and molecular (e.g., Chubb 2004) have recovered a basal divergence amongst neognathous birds between a clade comprising Anseriformes and Galliformes--Galloanserae--and all other birds (Neoaves of most authors). Remaining neognathous clades fall out in a largely unresolved polytomy.
References:
- Chubb, A. 2004. New nuclear evidence for the oldest divergence among neognath birds: the phylogenetic utility of ZENK (i). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30: 140-151.
- Livezey, B. C., & Zusi, R. 2001. Higher order phylogenetics of modern Aves based on comparative anatomy. Netherlands Journal of Zoology 51(2): 179-205.
- Sibley, C. G. & Ahlquist, J. E. 1990. Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution. Yale University Press, New Haven.
