Synoicus is a genus of 4 species of Old World quail.[1]

Synoicus
S. ypsilophorus
S. chinensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Tribe: Coturnicini
Genus: Synoicus
Gould, 1843
Type species
Tetrao ypsilophorus
Bosc, 1792
Species

See text

Synonyms

Anurophasis van Oort, 1910
Excalfactoria Bonaparte, 1856

The species in the genus are distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, tropical Asia, and Australasia. Two of the four species in the genus were originally classified in Excalfactoria, one was classified in Anurophasis, and one was classified in Coturnix. Several phylogenetic studies found these species to all group together into a single genus, which was followed by the International Ornithological Congress in 2021.[1][2][3][4]

Species

edit
Genus Synoicus Gould, 1843 – four species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Brown quail

 

Synoicus ypsilophorus
(Bosc, 1792)

Nine subspecies
  • S. y. raaltenii (Müller, S, 1842)
  • S. y. pallidior Hartert, EJO, 1897
  • S. y. saturatior Hartert, EJO, 1897
  • S. y. dogwa Mayr & Rand, 1935
  • S. y. plumbeus Salvadori, 1895
  • S. y. monticola Mayr & Rand, 1935
  • S. y. mafulu Mayr & Rand, 1935
  • S. y. australis (Latham, 1801)
  • S. y. ypsilophorus (Bosc, 1792)
Mainland Australia, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea; introduced to New Zealand and Fiji Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Snow Mountain quail

 

Synoicus monorthonyx
(van Oort, 1910)
Snow and Star Mountains, West Papua (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea
 
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


King quail

 

Synoicus chinensis
(Linnaeus, 1766)

Six subspecies
  • S. c. chinensis (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • S. c. trinkutensis Richmond, 1902
  • S. c. lineatus (Scopoli, 1786)
  • S. c. lepidus (Hartlaub, 1879)
  • S. c. victoriae (Mathews, 1912)
  • S. c. colletti (Mathews, 1912)
India and Sri Lanka east to Taiwan, south to eastern Australia Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Blue quail

 

Synoicus adansonii
(, )
Sub-Saharan Africa, from Zambia north to Ethiopia, and west to Sierra Leone Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 



References

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  1. ^ a b "Taxonomic Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  2. ^ Seabrook-Davison, Mark; Huynen, Leon; Lambert, David M.; Brunton, Dianne H. (2009-07-28). "Ancient DNA Resolves Identity and Phylogeny of New Zealand's Extinct and Living Quail (Coturnix sp.)". PLOS ONE. 4 (7): e6400. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.6400S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006400. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 2712072. PMID 19636374.
  3. ^ Hosner, Peter A.; Tobias, Joseph A.; Braun, Edward L.; Kimball, Rebecca T. (2017-05-17). "How do seemingly non-vagile clades accomplish trans-marine dispersal? Trait and dispersal evolution in the landfowl (Aves: Galliformes)". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 284 (1854): 20170210. doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.0210. PMC 5443944. PMID 28469029.
  4. ^ Kimball, Rebecca T.; Mary, Colette M. St; Braun, Edward L. (2011-05-02). "A Macroevolutionary Perspective on Multiple Sexual Traits in the Phasianidae (Galliformes)". International Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 2011: 423938. doi:10.4061/2011/423938. PMC 3119463. PMID 21716735.