Phylogeny of turacos (Aves, Musophagidae). Analysis of morphological morphological characters

A cladistic analysis of the 23 species of turacos (Musophagidae) using 34 m orphological characters produces, after successive weighting, 4 shortest-le ngth trees (consistency index = 0.76) that present two major clades: the fi rst one with 'grey' turacos (genus Crinifer, Corythaixoides), the other one with the great blue turaco (genus Corythaeola) and the turacine bearers tu racos (genus Tauraco, Musophaga, Ruwenzorornis, Gallirex). This result also suggests that the species 'persa' is not valid; T. schalowi, T. livingston ii, T. corythaix which were included in this species are more closely relat ed to T. fisheri and T. schuettii than they are to T. persa. The polymorphi sm of these green turacos is also discussed. Ruwenzorornis johnstoni and Ga illirex porphyreolophus do not belong to the Tauraco clade nor to the Musop haga clade, but they are closer to the first than to the second. The specie s Corythaixoides leucogaster is closer to the Crinifer, species than to the other Corythaixoides species.