Xenicus

Xenicus
A South Island wren.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Acanthisittidae
Genus:	Xenicus G.R. Gray, 1855
Type species
Motacilla longipes Gmelin, 1789
Synonyms
Pachyplichas (Millener, 1988)

Xenicus is a genus of birds in the family Acanthisittidae. It contains New Zealand wrens.

Species

• New Zealand rock wren, Xenicus gilviventris
• Bushwren, †Xenicus longipes (extinct)
• South Island stout-legged wren, †X. yaldwyni – South Island, New Zealand
• North Island stout-legged wren, †X. jagmi – North Island, New Zealand

Lyall's wren was classified as Xenicus lyalli but is quite divergent, so it is placed in its own genus, Traversia.

Taxonomy

The stout-legged wrens formed a species pair. They had reduced wings and robust legs indicating that they were adapted to a terrestrial existence and were either flightless or nearly so. Genetic evidence has indicated that the former genus Pachyplichas is nested within Xenicus, and stout legged wrens must have evolved from a gracile legged ancestor. A cladogram is given below.

	Acanthisittidae Traversia Kuiornis Acanthisitta Xenicus longipes Xenicus gilviventris Pachyplichas

References

• Catalogue of the genera and subgenera of birds contained in the British museum. p. 31
• North Island Rifleman (Titipounamu)(above two birds) / South Island Bush Wren (Matuhi) (left centre) / Rock Wren (centre right) / Stephens Island Wren by George Edward Lodge. Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Further reading

• Millener, P.R. (1988). "Contributions to New Zealand's Late Quaternary avifauna. 1: Pachyplichas, a new genus of wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae), with two new species". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 18 (4): 383–406. Bibcode:1988JRSNZ..18..383M. doi:10.1080/03036758.1988.10426464.