PHYLOGENETIC DISTRIBUTION AND POSSIBLE EVOLUTION OF THE AVIAN SPECIES OF THE HAEMOPROTEIDAE

The distribution of species and morphological forms of the avian species of the Haemoproteidae throughout the 26 avian orders is examined. The greatest species diversity and occurrence of different morphological forms is seen among the Coraciiformes and Piciformes; no haemoproteids are recorded from the seven most primitive avian orders. It is suggested that the haemoproteids arose in the late Oligocene/early Eocene at about the same time as Piciformes and Coraciiformes.