Psittacara is a genus of parakeets in the tribe Arini. Species of the genus are found in Central and South America, the Caribbean and one species reaching the southern United States. Until 2013, all the species were placed in the genus Aratinga. Many of the Psittacara species are kept in aviculture or as , where they are commonly known as .
Taxonomy
The members of this
genus were formerly placed in the genus
Aratinga. Molecular phylogenetic studies had found that
Aratinga was non-
monophyletic so in order to create monophylectic genera James Van Remsen Jr. and collaborators proposed in 2013 that
Aratinga should be split and a group of species moved to the resurrected genus
Psittacara.
The genus had been introduced in 1825 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors with the white-eyed parakeet as the
type species.
Species
The genus contains 12 species including one which is now extinct:
Hypothetical species
-
Guadeloupe parakeet ( Psittacara labati)
-
Jean-Baptiste Labat described a population of small parrots living on Guadeloupe, which have been postulated to be a separate species based on little evidence. They were originally named Conurus labati, but no specimens or remains of these parrots exist. Their taxonomy may never be fully elucidated, and so their postulated status as a separate species is hypothetical.
