Mirandornithes[4] (/mɪˌrændɔːrˈnɪθiːz/) is aclade that consists offlamingos andgrebes. Many scholars use the termPhoenicopterimorphae for the superorder containing flamingoes and grebes.[5][6]
Determining the relationships between the two groups has been problematic. Flamingos had been placed with numerous branches withinNeognathae, such asducks andstorks. The grebes had been placed with theloons. However, more recent genomic studies have confirmed these two branches as sister groups.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Both primitivephoenicopteriformes and their closest relatives, thegrebes, were highly aquatic.[13] This indicates that the entire mirandornithe group evolved from aquatic, probably swimming ancestors.[9]
The term was coined by Sangster in 2005 to describe the new clade discovered through molecular analyses. It is inspired by the Latinmiranda, meaning "wonderful", and the Greek ὄρνις (órnis), meaning bird.[4]
Some authors have used alternative names for Mirandornithes, such asPhoenicopterimorphae or include Podicipedidae as a family within Phoenicopteriformes. Other authors do not widely use either option, and Mirandornithes is preferred.[3] The following phylogenetic tree depicts Mirandornithes as recovered by Torres and colleagues in 2015.[14]
While various phylogenetic studies support the evidence for the sister grouping of flamingos and grebes, the placement of Mirandornithes has been less precise. Mayr (2004) conducted a morphological-based analysis on extant families. In his paper, Mayr found the then unnamed Mirandornithes to be part of a clade that included alsoloons andpenguins, the former family being the sister lineage.[9] Since 2004, however, this arrangement has not been supported, as with the advent of nuclear and mitochondrial genetic research, the placement of Mirandornithes has been placed all over theneoavian tree of life. The most common occurrences place the clade as either the basalmost branch of Neoaves,[15][16][17] or as the sister taxon toColumbimorphae in a clade known asColumbea.[6][18][19] A third option, one that has been the only constant correspondence between morphological and molecular studies of the placement of the clade, is a possible sister relationship toCharadriiformes.[13][20]
^abMayr, G. (2014) The EoceneJuncitarsus – its phylogenetic position and significance for the evolution and higher-level affinities of flamingos and grebes.Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13(1):9-18.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2013.07.005
