Polytminae is one of the six subfamilies of the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The subfamily contains 12 genera with a total of 29 species.
The informal name "mangoes" has been proposed for this group as the seven species in the largest genus, Anthracothorax, include "mango" in their common name.
Taxonomy A molecular phylogenetic study of the hummingbirds published in 2007 found that the family consisted of nine clades. When Edward Dickinson and James Van Remsen, Jr. updated the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World for the 4th edition in 2013 they divided the nine clades into six subfamilies and proposed using the Latin name Polytminae for the "mango" clade, a name that had been introduced by Ludwig Reichenbach in 1849.
Pre-molecular studies did not anticipate the existence of this clade, but a common feature is the presence of serrations on the cutting edge of the bill. An extreme example is the tooth-billed hummingbird (Androdon aequatorialis).
Molecular phylogenetic studies by Jimmy McGuire and collaborators published between 2007 and 2014 determined the relationships between the major groups of hummingbirds. In the cladogram below, the English names are those introduced in 1997. The Latin names are those proposed by Dickinson and Remsen in 2013.
The phylogenetic relationships between the genera in the subfamily Polytminae, as determined in the 2014 study, are shown below. The genus Eulampis was found to be nested within Anthracothorax, making Anthracothorax paraphyletic. No species from the genus Augastes was sampled in the molecular studies, but based on a comparison of plumage features and bill shapes, it is believed that Augastes is closely related to Schistes.
Taxonomic list The subfamily includes the following twelve genera:
Image Genus Living species Doryfera Green-fronted lancebill, Doryfera ludovicae Blue-fronted lancebill, Doryfera johannae Schistes Geoffroy's daggerbill, Schistes geoffroyi White-throated daggerbill, Schistes albogularis Augastes Hyacinth visorbearer, Augastes scutatus Hooded visorbearer, Augastes lumachella Colibri Brown violetear, Colibri delphinae Mexican violetear, Colibri thalassinus Lesser violetear, Colibri cyanotus Sparkling violetear, Colibri coruscans White-vented violetear, Colibri serrirostris Androdon Tooth-billed hummingbird, Androdon aequatorialis Heliactin Horned sungem, Heliactin bilophus Heliothryx Purple-crowned fairy, Heliothryx barroti Black-eared fairy, Heliothryx auritus Polytmus White-tailed goldenthroat, Polytmus guainumbi Tepui goldenthroat, Polytmus milleri Green-tailed goldenthroat, Polytmus theresiae Avocettula Fiery-tailed awlbill, Avocettula recurvirostris Chrysolampis Ruby-topaz hummingbird, Chrysolampis mosquitus Anthracothorax Green-throated mango, Anthracothorax viridigula Green-breasted mango, Anthracothorax prevostii Black-throated mango, Anthracothorax nigricollis Veraguan mango, Anthracothorax veraguensis Hispaniolan mango, Anthracothorax dominicus Puerto Rican mango, Anthracothorax aurulentus Green mango, Anthracothorax viridis Jamaican mango, Anthracothorax mango Eulampis Purple-throated carib, Eulampis jugularis Green-throated carib, Eulampis holosericeus
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