Symposiachrus Explained

Symposiachrus is a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. Most species are endemic to islands in Melanesia but the spectacled monarch is widely distributed and occurs in parts of Indonesia and western Australia. The genus was previously lumped together in the genus Monarcha.

Taxonomy and systematics

Based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2005, the genus Monarcha was split and 19 species moved to the resurrected genus Symposiachrus that had been introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854 with the spectacled monarch (Symposiachrus trivirgatus) as the type species.^{[1] [2]} The genus name Symposiachrus combines the Ancient Greek συν/sun meaning "together", ποσις/posis meaning "husband" and αχρως/akhrōs meaning "pallid".^[3]

The genus Symposiachrus contains the following 23 species:^[4]

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
		Symposiachrus axillaris	New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus guttula	New Guinea.
	Banda Sea monarch (formerly Black-bibbed monarch)	Symposiachrus mundus	Tanimbar Islands.
		Symposiachrus sacerdotum	Flores in Indonesia.
		Symposiachrus melanopterus	Papua New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus boanensis	Boano, Maluku islands.
		Symposiachrus trivirgatus	Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus bimaculatus	Indonesia.
		Symposiachrus leucurus	Kai Islands.
		Symposiachrus everetti	Tanahjampea, Selayar Islands
		Symposiachrus loricatus	Moluccas
		Symposiachrus julianae	Kofiau in Indonesia.
		Symposiachrus brehmii	Biak Island, Indonesia.
		Symposiachrus manadensis	New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus infelix	Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus menckei	Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus verticalis	Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea.
		Symposiachrus barbatus	southeast Solomon Islands archipelago
		Symposiachrus malaitae	Malaita in the Solomon Islands archipelago
		Symposiachrus vidua	Solomon Islands
		Symposiachrus nigrotectus	northwest and north New Georgia Islands
		Symposiachrus browni	Solomon Islands
		Symposiachrus rubiensis	New Guinea

Further reading

• Filardi, C.E., and R.G. Moyle. 2005. Single origin of a pan-Pacific bird group and upstream colonization of Australasia. Nature 438: 216–219.
• Mayr, E., and J. Diamond. 2001. The birds of northern Melanesia. Speciation, ecology, and biogeography. Oxford University Press.

Notes and References

1. Bonaparte . Charles Lucien . Charles Lucien Bonaparte . 1854 . Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences . Notes sur les collections rapportées en 1853, par M. A. Delattre, de son voyage en Californie et dans le Nicaragua . 38 . 1–11, 53–67, 258–266, 378–389, 533–541, 650–665 [650] .
2. Filardi . C.E. . Smith . C.E. . 2005 . Molecular phylogenetics of monarch flycatchers (genus Monarcha) with emphasis on Solomon Island endemics . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 37 . 3 . 776–788 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.02.007 . 16291094 .
3. Web site: Jobling . James A. . Symposiachrus . The Key to Scientific Names . Cornell Lab of Ornithology . 3 September 2024 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . August 2024 . Monarchs . IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 19 September 2024 .