Lampornithini
A tribe of hummingbirds known as mountain gems.
Lampornithini is a tribe within the hummingbird subfamily Trochilinae, one of three such groups alongside Mellisugini (the bees) and Trochilini (the emeralds). This tribe has been informally called the "mountain gems." It includes 18 species spread across 7 genera. The largest genus, *Lampornis*, accounts for eight of those species, all of which carry "mountaingem" in their common name.
- taxonomic_rank
- Tribe
- family
- Trochilidae
- subfamily
- Trochilinae
- number_of_species
- 18
- number_of_genera
- 7
- largest_genus
- Lampornis
- informal_name
- mountain gems
Lore & Background
The tribe Lampornithini was introduced in 2009 with its current circumscription. A subfamily based on the genus Lampornis was introduced by William Jardine in 1833, and the name Lampornithinae was used by Charles Bonaparte in 1842. The tribe is one of three clades placed in the subfamily Trochilinae based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2007, which found that the hummingbird family was composed of nine major clades. When Edward Dickinson and James Van Remsen Jr. updated the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World for the 4th edition in 2013, they based their classification on these results and placed three of the nine clades in separate tribes: Lampornithini, Mellisugini (bees), and Trochilini (emeralds).
Reader's Guide
Lampornithini represents a distinct evolutionary lineage within the hummingbird family, identified through molecular phylogenetic studies published between 2007 and 2014 by Jimmy McGuire and collaborators. The tribe's circumscription was formalized in 2009, and its placement within Trochilinae was solidified by Dickinson and Remsen in 2013. The informal name 'mountain gems' reflects the common names of species in the largest genus, Lampornis. The tribe's 18 species across 7 genera occupy a specific branch of the hummingbird evolutionary tree, as shown in a cladogram based on the 2014 molecular study, though two genera (Sternoclyta and Hylonympha) were not sampled. Understanding Lampornithini helps clarify the phylogenetic relationships among hummingbirds, contributing to the broader classification of the family Trochilidae.
Did You Know?
- The informal name 'mountain gems' has been proposed for the tribe Lampornithini.
- The tribe contains 18 species divided into 7 genera.
- The largest genus Lampornis includes eight species with 'mountaingem' in their common name.
- The tribe was introduced with its current circumscription in 2009.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lampornithini?
Lampornithini is a tribe of hummingbirds placed in the subfamily Trochilinae of the family Trochilidae. It is one of three recognized tribes in that subfamily, the others being Mellisugini and Trochilini.
How many species and genera make up Lampornithini?
The tribe contains 18 species spread across 7 genera. The genus Lampornis is the most species-rich, holding eight of those 18 species.
Why is Lampornithini nicknamed 'mountain gems'?
The informal label comes from the fact that all eight species in the genus Lampornis carry 'mountaingem' in their common name, and the tribe as a whole is associated with mountainous regions.
What is the largest genus within Lampornithini?
Lampornis tops the list with eight species, making it the most diverse genus in the tribe. Every one of those species includes 'mountaingem' as part of its common name.
How does Lampornithini relate to the other hummingbird tribes?
It sits alongside Mellisugini (the bees) and Trochilini (the emeralds) as one of three tribes within the subfamily Trochilinae. Together these three groups account for the full diversity of that subfamily.
More in Bird tribes 1-24
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