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Molecular Evidence That the Bonin Islands "Honeyeater" Is a White-eye

1995; Volume: 27; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3312/jyio1952.27.66

1883-3659

Mark S. Springer, Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Keisuke Ueda, Jason Minton, Charles G. Sibley,

Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Since 1958, Apalopteron familiare has been placed in the Meliphagidae and called the Bonin Islands Honeyeater or Ogasawara Honeyeater. Previously it had been treated as a bulbul, a babbler, a sylviid warbler and a white-eye. Here we present 12S rRNA sequence evidence that shows that Apalopteron is a member of the white-eye family Zosteropidae, closely-related to the Golden White-eye (Cleptornis marchei) of the southern Mariana Islands, which was also misidentified as a honeyeater until its true affinities were revealed by field observations and DNA-DNA hybridization. The ecology and behavior of Apalopteron and Zosterops are compared and reviewed. The English name Bonin Islands White-eye is proposed for Apalopteron familiare.