Mareca is a genus or subgenus of ducks in the family Anatidae that includes the wigeons.
The species now placed in this genus were formerly placed in the genus Anas. A molecular phylogentic study comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences published in 2009 found that the genus Anas, as then defined, was not monophyletic.[1] Based on the published phylogeny, the genus Anas was split into four monophyletic genera with five extant species moved into the resurrected genus Mareca.[2]
The genus Mareca was introduced by English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1824. The type species is the Eurasian wigeon.[3] [4] The name of the genus is from the Portuguese word Marreco for a small duck.[5]
The genus Mareca contains these species:[2]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mareca strepera | Europe, Asia and central North America | ||
| Mareca falcata | Eastern Asia | ||
| Mareca penelope | Europe and Asia | ||
| Mareca sibilatrix | Southern South America | ||
| Mareca americana | North of Canada and Alaska and also in the Interior West through Idaho, Colorado, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, as well as eastern Washington and Oregon | ||
Cladogram based on the analysis of Gonzalez and colleagues published in 2009.[1]