SYRINGEAL COMPLEXITY AND THE ORDINAL RELATIONSHIPS OF "HIGHER" BIRDS (SYRINX, PHYLOGENY).
Item
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Title
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SYRINGEAL COMPLEXITY AND THE ORDINAL RELATIONSHIPS OF "HIGHER" BIRDS (SYRINX, PHYLOGENY).
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Identifier
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AAI8629678
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identifier
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8629678
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Creator
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CANNELL, PETER F.
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Contributor
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Max K. Hecht
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, Zoology
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Abstract
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Systematic study of the avian syrinx has had a long but imbalanced history. Nineteenth century avian systematists routinely examined syringes in their attempts to define a higher-level classification for birds but the passerine syrinx, possessing more complex musculature, received most attention. This emphasis has continued; although the structure of passerine syringes has been recently reviewed in detail, there has been virtually no systematic comment on the syringeal morphology of nonpasserines in this century. Here, I describe syringeal morphology of several orders of "higher" nonpasserines and discuss the implications for the phylogeny of "higher" birds, including the Passeriformes in which syringeal morphology is so well known. The examination and interpretation drawn on a broad comparative examination of syringeal morphology, including over 600 specimens representing 57 families and 22 orders of nonpasserine birds.;Passerine-type syringeal complexity is reported for several nonpasserine taxa: intrinsic syringeal muscles are described for kingfishers, hummingbirds, parrots, and colies; internal cartilages are reported for motmots, hummingbirds, and colies. Some of the features are reported here for the first time, others were last noted in the early nineteenth century. The phylogenetic implications of structures are tested and discussed. Although an association of Passeriformes and Piciformes is one of the most accepted ornithological traditions, a review conducted here finds no support for that relationship. Two shared derived characters of the syrinx imply a relationship between parrots and colies and corroborate a previous suggestion based on hind limb musculature. The possible homology of features in nonpasserines with those in passerines is discussed. The presence of intrinsic muscles in the primitive passeriform syrinx is found to be equally as parsimonious as traditional assumptions of independent derivations.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Biology
