Genus of birds
The liocichlas are a group of birds in the genus of the same name, Liocichla, from the family Leiothrichidae. They are found in Asia from India to China. They belong to a clade also containing at least the "Leiothrix", the barwings, the minlas and the sibias. Among these, they are an early offshoot, or basal lineage.
Taxonomy.
Speciation in the group is thought to have begun with the ancestral species originating somewhere in southern China, making "L. steerii" the basal species. The lineage consisting of "L. ripponi" and "L. phoenicea" are thought to have had a split in the Pleistocene (0.07–1.88 Ma) with a similar split of the other lineage leading to "L. bugunorum" and "L. omeiensis" separated by the Hengduan mountains.
Species.
The genus contains five species:
References.
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