Psephotellus is a genus of medium sized Australian parrots. Four species found across the country are recognised, one is presumed to have become extinct.
| Psephotellus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mulga parrot | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Tribe: | Platycercini |
| Genus: | Psephotellus Mathews, 1913 |
| Type species | |
| Platycercus pulcherrimus[1] Gould, 1845
| |
| Species | |
|
Four; see text | |
Description edit
All species show considerable sexual dimorphism. These species have traditionally been placed in the genus Psephotus along with the red-rumped parrot, but a molecular study analysing nuclear and mitochondrial DNA found that the red-rumped parrot was an early offshoot in a clade of several genera of broad-tailed parrot, with the other species nested deeply within.[2][3]
Taxonomy edit
The genus was first proposed by Gregory Mathews in 1913, nominating the paradise parrot Platycercus pulcherrimus Gould as the type and forming a new combination as Psephotellus pulcherrimus.[4]
Diversity and distribution edit
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mulga parrot
|
Psephotellus varius (Clark, AH, 1910) |
Western New South Wales from Collarenabri, West Wyalong and Griffith westwards through the northwestern tip of Victoria and across South Australia to central Western Australia. | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| hooded parrot
|
Psephotellus dissimilis (Collett, 1898) |
northeast Northern Territory | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| golden-shouldered parrot
|
Psephotellus chrysopterygius (Gould, 1858) |
Queensland and New South Wales | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
EN
|
| paradise parrot
|
Psephotellus pulcherrimus (Gould, 1845) |
formerly recorded in eastern Qld and northeastern NSW, no confirmed record since 1927.[5] | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
EX
|
References edit
- ^ "Psittaculidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- ^ Leo Joseph; Alicia Toon; Erin E. Schirtzinger; Timothy F. Wright (2011). "Molecular systematics of two enigmatic genera Psittacella and Pezoporus illuminate the ecological radiation of Australo-Papuan parrots (Aves: Psittaciformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 59 (3): 675–684. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.03.017. PMID 21453777.
- ^ Schweizer, Manuel; Güntert, Marcel; Hertwig, Stefan T. (2012). "Out of the Bassian province: historical biogeography of the Australasian platycercine parrots". Zoologica Scripta. 42 (1): 13–27. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2012.00561.x. S2CID 53957317.
- ^ Mathews, G. (1913). "New generic names, with some notes on others". Austral Avian Record; A Scientific Journal Devoted Primarily to the Study of the Australian Avifauna. 2: 57.
- ^ Blakers, M.; Davies, S.J.J.F.; Reilly, P.N. (1984). Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (ed.). The Atlas of Australian Birds (1st ed.). Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 978-0-522-84285-2.