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Iole (genus)
Encyclopedia
Iole is a genus
of bulbul
s, songbird
s in the family
Pycnonotidae. They are native to tropical eastern Asia
, from India
to China
and south through Southeast Asia
to northern Indonesia
.
It includes the following species
:
Some older sources merge this genus into Hypsipetes
. But this is neither advisable nor technically correct. The two genera stand well apart, and to phylogenetically justify their merging, the entire "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls would need to be united in a single genus. That would include Hemixos
, Ixos
, Microscelis and Tricholestes, and probably also Alophoixus
and the monotypic
Setornis. The Hook-billed Bulbul
(S. criniger) may in fact be the closest living relative of Iole, but altogether the present genus may well be a quite basal lineage of the traditional "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls, with no particularly close relatives among these.
According to mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase
subunit
s 2 and 3 and nDNA β-fibrinogen intron
7 sequence
data Alophoixus is only slightly more distant from Hypsipetes than Iole is, whereas mtDNA 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA sequence data places it actually closer to Hypsipetes than to Iole. And furthermore, the genus name Ixos pre-dates Hypsipetes, and thus would apply to such a thoroughly merged "wastebin taxon
".
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of bulbul
Bulbul
Bulbuls are a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds. Many forest species are known as greenbuls. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands...
s, songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pycnonotidae. They are native to tropical eastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and south through Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
to northern Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
It includes the following species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
:
- Olive BulbulOlive BulbulThe Olive Bulbul is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, India, Burma, and Thailand....
, Iole virescens - Grey-eyed BulbulGrey-eyed BulbulThe Grey-eyed Bulbul is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family.It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Iole propinqua - Buff-vented BulbulBuff-vented BulbulThe Buff-vented Bulbul is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Iole olivacea (type speciesType speciesIn biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
) - Yellow-browed BulbulYellow-browed BulbulThe Yellow-browed Bulbul, Iole indica, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in the hills of Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of India and in small pockets of the Eastern Ghats of India....
, Iole indica
Some older sources merge this genus into Hypsipetes
Hypsipetes
Hypsipetes is a genus of bulbuls, songbirds in the family Pycnonotidae. Most of its species birds occur in tropical forests around the Indian Ocean. But while the genus is quite diverse in the Madagascar region at the western end of its range it does not reach the African mainland.Most Hypsipetes...
. But this is neither advisable nor technically correct. The two genera stand well apart, and to phylogenetically justify their merging, the entire "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls would need to be united in a single genus. That would include Hemixos
Hemixos
Hemixos is a songbird genus in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. Established by Edward Blyth in 1845 for the newly-discovered Ashy Bulbul Hemixos is a songbird genus in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. Established by Edward Blyth in 1845 for the newly-discovered Ashy Bulbul Hemixos is a songbird...
, Ixos
Ixos
Ixos is a songbird genus in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It provisionally contains the following species:* Yellowish Bulbul, Ixos everetti* Streaked Bulbul, Ixos malaccensis...
, Microscelis and Tricholestes, and probably also Alophoixus
Alophoixus
Alophoixus is a genus of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. All the species occur in southeast Asia.It contains the following species:* Finsch's Bulbul * White-throated Bulbul...
and the monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
Setornis. The Hook-billed Bulbul
Hook-billed Bulbul
The Hook-billed Bulbul is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Setornis.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia....
(S. criniger) may in fact be the closest living relative of Iole, but altogether the present genus may well be a quite basal lineage of the traditional "Hypsipetes group" of bulbuls, with no particularly close relatives among these.
According to mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase
NADH dehydrogenase
NADH dehydrogenase is an enzyme located in the inner mitochondrial membrane that catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADH to coenzyme Q...
subunit
Protein subunit
In structural biology, a protein subunit or subunit protein is a single protein molecule that assembles with other protein molecules to form a protein complex: a multimeric or oligomeric protein. Many naturally occurring proteins and enzymes are multimeric...
s 2 and 3 and nDNA β-fibrinogen intron
Intron
An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is removed by RNA splicing to generate the final mature RNA product of a gene. The term intron refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene, and the corresponding sequence in RNA transcripts. Sequences that are joined together in the final...
7 sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data Alophoixus is only slightly more distant from Hypsipetes than Iole is, whereas mtDNA 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA sequence data places it actually closer to Hypsipetes than to Iole. And furthermore, the genus name Ixos pre-dates Hypsipetes, and thus would apply to such a thoroughly merged "wastebin taxon
Wastebin taxon
Wastebasket taxon is a term used in some taxonomic circles to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by their lack of one or more distinct character states or by their not belonging to one or more other taxa...
".