Myrmotherula is a genus of insectivorous passerine birds in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. These are all small antbirds, measuring .
Taxonomy The genus Myrmotherula was erected by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1858. The type species is the pygmy antwren. Myrmotherula is a diminutive of the name Myrmothera that had been introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Vieillot for the antpittas. Myrmothera combines the Ancient Greek μυρμος/murmos meaning "ant" with -θηρας/-thēras meaning "hunter".
The genus currently contains the following species:
Streaked group: Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Moustached antwren Myrmotherula ignota western Amazonia and Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Pygmy antwren Myrmotherula brachyura Amazonia Guianan streaked antwren Myrmotherula surinamensis Giuana Shield Amazonian streaked antwren Myrmotherula multostriata Amazonia Pacific antwren Myrmotherula pacifica Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Cherrie's antwren Myrmotherula cherriei northern Amazonia Klages's antwren Myrmotherula klagesi Branco and lower Amazon River Stripe-chested antwren Myrmotherula longicauda eastern foothills of northern Andes - Yellow-throated antwren Myrmotherula ambigua north of upper Rio Negro Sclater's antwren Myrmotherula sclateri southern Amazonia
Grey group: Image Common name Scientific name Distribution White-flanked antwren Myrmotherula axilliaris Central America and northern South America Silvery-flanked antwren Myrmotherula luctuosa Atlantic Forest Slaty antwren Myrmotherula schisticolor Central America and Northern Andes - Rio Suno antwren Myrmotherula sunensis sparse range across western Amazonia Salvadori's antwren Myrmotherula minor mid Atlantic Forest Long-winged antwren Myrmotherula longipennis Amazonia Band-tailed antwren Myrmotherula urosticta Bahia coastal forests Ihering's antwren Myrmotherula iheringi southern Amazonia - Rio de Janeiro antwren Myrmotherula fluminensis Serra dos Órgãos Yungas antwren Myrmotherula grisea Yungas Unicolored antwren Myrmotherula unicolor southern Atlantic Forest Alagoas antwren Myrmotherula snowi Pernambuco coastal forests - Plain-winged antwren Myrmotherula behni tepuis and sparsely across northern Andes Grey antwren Myrmotherula menestriesii Amazonia Leaden antwren Myrmotherula assimilis riverine Amazonia
Several species previously included in this genus as the "stipple-throated group" have now been transferred to a new genus, Epinecrophylla based on a 2006 study of nest architecture, foraging behaviour and vocal repertoire. A molecular genetic study published in 2012 found that the genus was not monophyletic. As a step in creating monophyletic genera, two species that were only distantly related to the other members of Myrmotherula, the rufous-bellied antwren and the plain-throated antwren, were moved to the newly erected genus Isleria. A further study published in 2014 confirmed that the species remaining in Myrmotherula formed a paraphyletic group with respect to the genera Terenura, Formicivora, Stymphalornis and Myrmochanes. See also Supporting Information Figure S.1
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