Lepidothrix is a genus of passerine birds in the manakin family Pipridae. Birds in the genus are predominantly found in South America, but one species, the velvety manakin, also ranges into Central America. Females have green plumage with yellow bellies, as do some males. Other males have black plumage with white or blue crowns, and some have yellow bellies or blue rumps.Snow, D. W. (2004). Family Pipridae (Manakins). Pp. 110-169 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Christie, D. A. eds (2004). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Taxonomy The genus Lepidothrix was introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. The type species was subsequently designated as the blue-capped manakin. The name Lepidothrix combines the Ancient Greek words λεπις lepis, λεπιδος lepidos "scale, flake" and θριξ thrix, τριχος trikhos "hair". A new genus name Neolepidothrix, was proposed in 2009 due to a suggestion that it was a junior homonym of the extinct silverfish Lepidotrix, however it was later shown that the original spelling of the silverfish genus was not same, so therefore the genera were not homonymous.
The genus contains nine species: Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Lepidothrix velutina Velvety manakin Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama Lepidothrix coronata Blue-capped manakin Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela Lepidothrix suavissima Orange-bellied manakin southern Venezuela, far northern Brazil, and central Guyana Lepidothrix serena White-fronted manakin Surname and French Guiana Lepidothrix iris Opal-crowned manakin Brazil Lepidothrix vilasboasi Golden-crowned manakin Brazil Lepidothrix nattereri Snow-capped manakin Amazon Basin of Brazil and far north-eastern Bolivia Lepidothrix isidorei Blue-rumped manakin Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru Lepidothrix coeruleocapilla Cerulean-capped manakin Peru
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