Ixos Explained

Ixos is a genus of passerine birds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Ixos was introduced in 1825 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck to accommodate the Javan bulbul.^[1] The genus name is the Ancient Greek for "mistletoe".^[2]

Some authorities have advocated a complete merger of the genus Ixos with Hypsipetes  - and even the entire "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls, which also includes Hemixos, Iole and Tricholestes. Being the oldest genus name, Ixos would apply to all of them, rather than Hypsipetes as is often believed.^[3] This re-classification seems hardly appropriate however, since Alophoixus and Setornis cannot be excluded from the "Hypsipetes group", and an all-out merge would turn the resultant "genus" Ixos into an ill-defined "wastebin taxon". The erroneous inclusion of I. virescens in Hypsipetes has caused the Nicobar bulbul to be listed under its invalid junior synonym H. nicobariensis rather than the valid names H. virescens or I. nicobariensis.

Extant species

There are six extant species in the genus Ixos:^[4]

• Cream-striped bulbul (Ixos leucogrammicus)
• Nicobar bulbul (Ixos nicobariensis)
• Mountain bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii)
• Streaked bulbul (Ixos malaccensis)
• Javan bulbul (Ixos virescens) (the type species)
• Sumatran bulbul (Ixos sumatranus)^[5] (split from I. virescens)

Former species

Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Ixos:

• Cream-striped bulbul (as Ixos leucogrammicus)^[6]
• Spot-necked bulbul (as Ixos tympanistrigus)^[7]
• Grey-headed bulbul (as Ixos Fisquetti)^[8]
• Scaly-breasted bulbul (as Ixos squamatus)^[9]
• Red-whiskered bulbul (pyrrhotis) (as Ixos pyrrhotis)^[10]
• Red-whiskered bulbul (emeria) (as Ixos emeria)^[11]
• Chinese red-whiskered bulbul (as Ixos monticola)^[12]
• Brown-breasted bulbul (andersoni) (as Ixus Andersoni)^[13]
• Light-vented bulbul (hainanus) (as Ixus hainanus)^[14]
• White-eared bulbul (as Ixos leucotis)^[15]
• Sooty-headed bulbul (germani) (as Ixus Germani)^[16]
• White-spectacled bulbul (as Ixus xanthopygos)^[17]
• Upper Guinea bulbul (as Ixos inornatus)^[18]
• Dark-capped bulbul (as Ixos tricolor)^[19]
• Pale-eyed bulbul (as Ixus Davisoni)^[20]
• Yellow-throated bulbul (as Ixos xantholaemus)^[21]
• Yellow-vented bulbul (gourdini) (as Ixos gourdini)^[22]
• Spectacled bulbul (as Ixos erythropthalmos)^[23]
• Yellow-throated leaflove (as Ixus flavicollis)^[24]
• Yellow-bellied bulbul (as Ixos phaeocephalus)^[25]
• Sulphur-bellied bulbul (as Ixos palawanensis)^[26]
• Seram golden bulbul (as Ixos affinis)^[27]
• Philippine bulbul (as Ixos philippinus)^[28]
• Mindoro bulbul (as Ixos mindorensis)^[29]
• Visayan bulbul (as Ixos guimarasensis)^[30]
• Zamboanga bulbul (as Ixos rufigularis)^[31]
• Streak-breasted bulbul (as Ixos siquijorensis)^[32]
• Yellowish bulbul (as Ixos everetti)^[33]
• Brown-eared bulbul (as Ixos amaurotis)^[34]

References

• Gregory, Steven M. (2000): Nomenclature of the Hypsipetes Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae). Forktail 16: 164–166. PDF fulltext
• Moyle, Robert G. & Marks, Ben D. (2006): Phylogenetic relationships of the bulbuls (Aves: Pycnonotidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 40(3): 687–695. (HTML abstract)
• Pasquet, Éric; Han, Lian-Xian; Khobkhet, Obhas & Cibois, Alice (2001): Towards a molecular systematics of the genus Criniger, and a preliminary phylogeny of the bulbuls (Aves, Passeriformes, Pycnonotidae). Zoosystema 23(4): 857–863. PDF fulltext

Notes and References

1. Book: Temminck, Coenraad Jacob . Coenraad Jacob Temminck . 1838 . 1825 . Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux, pour servir de suite et de complément aux planches enluminées de Buffon . 3, Livraison 64 . Plate 382, Fig. 1. F.G. Levrault . Paris . French . The 5 volumes were originally issued in 102 livraison (parts), 1820-1839. For the dates see: Dickinson . E.C. . Edward C. Dickinson . 2001 . Systematic notes on Asian birds. 9. The Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées of Temminck & Laugier (1820–1839) . Zoologische Verhandelingen, Leiden . 335 . 7–53 .
2. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 209 .
3. Gregory (2000), Pasquet et al. (2001), Moyle & Marks (2006)
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . December 2023 . Bulbuls . IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 16 January 2024.
5. Web site: Species Updates – IOC World Bird List. 2021-05-29. en-US.
6. Web site: Pycnonotus leucogrammicus - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-08.
7. Web site: Pycnonotus tympanistrigus - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-08.
8. Book: Voyage Autour du Monde sur la Corvette La Bonite. 86–88. Eydoux F, ((L FASouleyet)). 1841. Arthus Bertrand. Paris.
9. Web site: Pycnonotus squamatus - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-12.
10. Web site: Pycnonotus jocosus pyrrhotis - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-12.
11. Book: Giebel, Christoph. Thesaurus Ornithologiae: bd. Pachycephala-Zosterops. 1877-01-01. Brockhaus. en.
12. Web site: Pycnonotus jocosus monticola - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-12.
13. Web site: Pycnonotus xanthorrhous andersoni - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-13.
14. Web site: Pycnonotus sinensis hainanus - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-13.
15. Web site: Pycnonotus leucotis - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-24.
16. Web site: Pycnonotus aurigaster germani - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-26.
17. Web site: Pycnonotus xanthopygos - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-26.
18. Web site: Pycnonotus barbatus inornatus - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-27.
19. Web site: Pycnonotus tricolor - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-27.
20. Web site: Pycnonotus finlaysoni davisoni - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-29.
21. Book: Jerdon, Thomas Claverhill. The Birds of India: Being a Natural History of All the Birds Known to Inhabit Continental India, with Descriptions of the Species, Genera, Families, Tribes, and Orders, and a Brief Notice of Such Families as are Not Found in India, Making it a Manual of Ornithology Specially Adapted for India. 1863-01-01. Author. en.
22. Web site: Pycnonotus goiavier gourdini - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-03-30.
23. Web site: Pycnonotus erythropthalmos - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-04-01.
24. Book: Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum: Passeriformes, or perching birds. Cichlomorphœ: pt. III-IV, containing the ... family Timeliidœ (babbling-thrushes) by R.B. Sharpe. 1881-01-01. order of the Trustees. en.
25. Web site: Alophoixus phaeocephalus - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-05-29.
26. Web site: Iole palawanensis - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-06-05.
27. Web site: Thapsinillas [affinis, mystacalis or longirostris] (Golden Bulbul) - Avibase]. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-10-18.
28. Web site: Hypsipetes philippinus (Philippine Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-03.
29. Web site: Hypsipetes mindorensis (Mindoro Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-04.
30. Web site: Hypsipetes guimarasensis (Visayan Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-05.
31. Web site: Hypsipetes rufigularis (Zamboanga Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-05.
32. Web site: Hypsipetes siquijorensis (Streak-breasted Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-05.
33. Web site: Hypsipetes everetti (Yellowish Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-06.
34. Web site: Hypsipetes amaurotis (Brown-eared Bulbul) - Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2017-11-06.