The Geographical Distribution of Animals, Volume 2 / With a study of the relations of living and extinct faunas as elucidating the past changes of the Earth's surface

by Alfred Russel Wallace

A large number of genera have been established by various authors, but their limitations and affinities are not very well made out. Those which seem best established are the following:—

(^2107—2112) Picumnus (22 sp.). Tropical South America to Honduras; (²¹¹³) Vivia (1 sp.), Himalayas to East Thibet; (²¹¹⁴) Sasia (2 sp.), Nepal to Java; (²¹¹⁵) Verreauxia (1 sp.), West Africa; Picoides (5 sp.), northern parts of Nearctic and Palæarctic regions, and Mountains of East Thibet; Picus (42 sp.), the whole Palæarctic, Oriental, Nearctic, and Neotropical regions; (²¹²³) Hyopicus (2 sp.), Himalayas and North China; (²¹²⁴) Yungipicus (16 sp.), Oriental region, and to Flores, Celebes, North China, and Japan; (^2127—2129) Sphyrapicus (7 sp.), Nearctic region, Mexico, and Bolivia; (^{2130—2133 2139}) Campephilus (14 sp.), Neotropical and Nearctic regions; Hylatomus (1 sp.), Nearctic region; (^{2137 2140}) Dryocopus (5 sp.), Mexico to South Brazil, Central and Northern Europe; (²¹³⁴) Reinwardtipicus (1 sp.), Penang to Borneo; (^{2135 2136}) Venilia (2 sp.), Nepal to Borneo; Chrysocolaptes (8 sp.), India and Indo-Malaya; Dendropicus (16 sp.), Tropical and South Africa; Hemicercus (5 sp.), Malabar and Pegu to Malaya; Gecinus (18 sp.), Palæarctic and Oriental regions to Java; (^2151—2156) Dendromus (15 sp.), West and South Africa, Zanzibar, and Abyssinia; (^2157—2159) Mulleripicus (6 sp.), Malabar, Pegu, Indo-Malaya, and Celebes; Celeus (17 sp.), Paraguay to Mexico; Nesoceleus (^{sp. 8833}) Cuba; (²¹⁶²) Chrysoptilus (9 sp.), Chili and South Brazil to Mexico; Brachypternus (5 sp.), India, Ceylon, and China; (^{2165 2166}) Tiga (5 sp.), all India to Malaya; (²¹⁶⁷) Gecinulus (2 sp.), South-east Himalayas to Burmah; Centurus (13 sp.), Nearctic Region to Antilles and Venezuela; Chloronerpes (35 sp.), Tropical America, Hayti; (²¹⁷¹) Xiphidiopicus (1 sp.), Cuba; Melanerpes (11 sp.), Brazil to Canada, Porto Rico; Leuconerpes (1 sp.), Bolivia to North Brazil; Colaptes (9 sp.), La Plata and Bolivia to Arctic America, Greater Antilles; Hypoxanthus (1 sp.), Venezuela and Ecuador; (²¹⁸⁷) Geocolaptes (1 sp.), South Africa; Miglyptes (3 sp.), Malaya; Micropternus (8 sp.), India and Ceylon to South China, Sumatra and Borneo.

Family 52.—YUNGIDÆ. (1 Genus, 5 Species.)

General Distribution.
Neotropical Sub-regions.	Nearctic Sub-regions.	Palæarctic Sub-regions.	Ethiopian Sub-regions.	Oriental Sub-regions.	Australian Sub-regions.
— — — —	— — — —	1. 2. 3. 4	1 — 3 —	1 — — —	— — — —

The Wrynecks (Yunx), which constitute this family, are small tree-creeping birds characteristic of the Palæarctic region, but extending into North and East Africa, over the greater part of the peninsula of India (but not to Ceylon), and just reaching the lower ranges of the Himalayas. There is also one species isolated in South Africa.

Family 53.—INDICATORIDÆ. (1 Genus, 12 Species.)

General Distribution.
Neotropical Sub-regions.	Nearctic Sub-regions.	Palæarctic Sub-regions.	Ethiopian Sub-regions.	Oriental Sub-regions.	Australian Sub-regions.
— — — —	— — — —	— — — —	1. 2. 3. —	— — 3. 4	— — — —

The Honey-guides (Indicator) constitute a small family of doubtful affinities; perhaps most nearly allied to the woodpeckers and barbets. They catch bees and sometimes kill small birds; and some of the species are parasitical like the cuckoo. Their distribution is very interesting, as they are found in every part of the Ethiopian region, except Madagascar, and in the Oriental region only in Sikhim and Borneo, being absent from the peninsula of India which is nearest, both geographically and zoologically, to Africa.

Family 54.—MEGALÆMIDÆ. (13 Genera, 81 Species.)

General Distribution.
Neotropical Sub-regions.	Nearctic Sub-regions.	Palæarctic Sub-regions.	Ethiopian Sub-regions.	Oriental Sub-regions.	Australian Sub-regions.
— 2. 3 —	— — — —	— — — —	1. 2. 3 —	1. 2. 3. 4	— — — —