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The Bony Stapes in the Upupidae and Phoeniculidae: Evidence for Common Ancestry |
 | | Alizarin-stained stapes of A, Upupa epops (Upupidae); B, Phoeniculus pur- pureus (Phoeniculidae) ; C, Leptosomus discolor (Leptosomatidae) ; D, Coracias hoevia (Coraciidae); and E, Berenicornis albocristatus (Bucerotidae). |
 | | Whether or not the wood- hoopoes and Hoopoe are considered as separate famihes or subfamilies of a Upupidae is a matter of arbitrary decision. |
 | | The possession of this bizarre type of stapes in both the Upupidae and Phoeniculidae I interpret as a strong indication of monophyly of the 2 groups that points a fortJori to |
| elibrary.unm.edu /sora/Wilson/v087n03/p0416-p0417.html (600 words) |