Belongs within: Melanerpini.
Melanerpes is a Neotropical genus of woodpeckers that commonly eat a higher proportion of fruit and nuts than other members of the family.
<==Melanerpes Swainson 1832 [incl. Centurus Swainson 1837; Centurini]B94
| i. s.: M. pulcher Sclater 1870JT12, WC02 [=Melanerpes chrysauchen pulcherWC02]
| ‘Centurus’ subelegansS18
|--M. striatus (Müller 1776)SF17, WC02 [=Picas striatusWC02, Chryserpes striatusSF17]
`--+--+--+--M. erythrocephalus (Linnaeus 1758)BKB15, WC02 [=Picus erythrocephalusWC02; incl. M. caurinusWC02]
| | `--+--M. lewis (Gray 1849)BKB15, WC02 [=Picus lewisWC02, Asyndesmus lewisWC02]
| | `--+--M. herminieri (Lesson 1830)SF17, WC02 [=Picus herminieriWC02, Linneopicus herminieriWC02]
| | `--M. portoricensis (Daudin 1803)SF17, WC02 [=Picus portoricensisWC02]
| `--+--M. formicivorus (Swainson 1827)SF17, WC02 [=Picus formicivorusWC02]
| | |--M. f. formicivorusWC02
| | |--M. f. albeolus Todd 1910WC02
| | |--M. f. angustifrons Baird 1870WC02
| | |--M. f. bairdi Ridgway 1881 [incl. M. martirensis]WC02
| | |--M. f. flavigula (Malherbe 1849)WC02
| | |--M. f. lineatus (Dickey & van Rossem 1927)WC02
| | `--M. f. striatipectus Ridgway 1874WC02
| `--+--M. cactorum (d’Orbigny 1840)SF17, WC02 [=Picus cactorumWC02]
| `--M. candidus (Otto 1796)SF17, WC02 [=Picus candidusWC02, Leuconerpes candidusWC02]
`--+--+--+--M. chrysauchen Salvin 1870SF17, WC02 [=Tripsurus chrysauchenWC02]
| | `--M. pucherani (Malherbe 1849)SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
| `--+--M. cruentatus (Boddaert 1783)SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
| `--+--M. flavifrons (Vieillot 1818)SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
| `--M. hypopolius (Wagler 1829)SF17, WC02 [=Picus hypopoliusWC02, Centurus hypopoliusWC02]
`--+--M. pygmaeus (Ridgway 1885)SF17, WC02 [=Centurus rubriventris pygmaeusWC02]
| |--M. p. pygmaeusWC02
| |--M. p. rubricomus Peters 1948WC02
| `--M. p. tysoni (Bond 1936)WC02
`--+--M. chrysogenys (Vigors 1839)SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
| |--M. c. chrysogenysWC02
| `--M. c. flavinuchus (Ridgway 1911)WC02
`--+--+--M. hoffmannii (Cabanis 1862)SF17, WC02 [=Centurus hoffmanniiWC02]
| `--M. rubricapillus Cabanis 1862SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
| |--M. r. rubricapillus [incl. M. costaricensis]WC02
| |--M. r. paraguanae (Gilliard 1940)WC02
| |--M. r. seductus Bangs 1901WC02
| `--M. r. subfusculus Wetmore 1957WC02
`--+--M. uropygialis (Baird 1854)BKB15, WC02 [=Centurus uropygialisWC02; incl. M. fuscescensWC02]
| |--M. u. uropygialis [incl. M. albescens, M. sulfuriventer, M. tiburonensis]WC02
| |--M. u. brewsteri (Ridgway 1911)WC02
| `--M. u. cardonensis (Grinnell 1927)WC02
`--+--+--M. radiolatus (Wagler 1827)SF17, WC02 [=Picus radiolatusWC02, Centurus radiolatusA61]
| `--M. superciliaris (Temminck 1827)SF17, WC02 [=Picus superciliarisWC02, Centurus superciliarisWC02]
| |--M. s. superciliarisWC02
| |--M. s. blakei (Ridgway 1886)WC02
| |--M. s. caymanensis (Cory 1886)WC02
| |--M. s. murceus (Bangs 1910)WC02
| `--M. s. nyeanus (Ridgway 1886) [incl. M. bahamensis]WC02
`--+--M. santacruzi (Bonarparte 1838)SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
`--+--M. aurifrons (Wagler 1829)SF17, WC02 [=Picus aurifronsWC02, Centurus aurifrons A61]
| |--M. a. aurifrons [incl. M. incanescens]WC02
| |--M. a. canescens (Salvin 1889)WC02
| |--M. a. dubius (Cabot 1844)WC02
| |--M. a. grateloupensis (Lesson 1839)WC02
| |--M. a. hughlandi Dickerman 1987WC02
| |--M. a. insulanus (Bond 1936)WC02
| |--M. a. leei (Ridgway 1885)WC02
| |--M. a. pauper (Ridgway 1888)WC02
| |--M. a. polygrammus (Cabanis 1862) [incl. M. frontalis]WC02
| |--M. a. turneffensis Russell 1963WC02
| `--M. a. veraecrucis Nelson 1900WC02
`--M. carolinus (Linnaeus 1758)SF17, WC02 (see below for synonymy)
Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus 1758)SF17, WC02 [=Picus carolinusWC02, Centurus carolinusWC02; incl. M. harpaceusWC02, M. perplexusWC02, M. zebraWC02]
Melanerpes chrysogenys (Vigors 1839)SF17, WC02 [=Picus chrysogenysWC02, Centurus chrysogenysWC02; incl. Melanerpes morelensisWC02]
Melanerpes cruentatus (Boddaert 1783)SF17, WC02 [=Picus cruentatusWC02, Tripsurus cruentatusWC02; incl. M. extensusWC02, M. rubrifronsWC02]
Melanerpes flavifrons (Vieillot 1818)SF17, WC02 [=Picus flavifronsWC02, Tripsurus flavifronsWC02; incl. Melanerpes rubriventrisWC02]
Melanerpes pucherani (Malherbe 1849)SF17, WC02 [=Zebrapicus pucheraniWC02, Centurus pucheraniE52, Tripsurus pucheraniWC02; incl. Melanerpes perileucusWC02]
Melanerpes rubricapillus Cabanis 1862SF17, WC02 [=Centurus rubricapillusWC02; incl. M. terricolorWC02; incl. C. subelegans wagleriS18, WC02]
Melanerpes santacruzi (Bonarparte 1838)SF17, WC02 [=Centurus aurifrons santacruziFS55, M. aurifrons santacruziWC02]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A61] Austin, O. L., Jr. 1961. Birds of the World: A survey of the twenty-seven orders and one hundred and fifty-five families. Paul Hamlyn: London.
[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.
[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.
[E52] Eisenmann, E. 1952. Annotated list of birds of Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 117 (5): 1–62.
[FS55] Felten, H., & J. Steinbacher. 1955. Zur Vogelfauna von El Salvador. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (1–2): 9–19.
[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.
[SF17] Shakya, S. B., J. Fuchs, J.-M. Pons & F. H. Sheldon. 2017. Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 116: 182–191.
[S18] Stone, W. 1918. Birds of the Panama Canal Zone, with special reference to a collection made by Mr. Lindsey L. Jewel. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 70: 239–280.
[WC02] Winkler, H., & D. A. Christie. 2002. Family Picidae (woodpeckers). In: Hoyo, J. del, A. Elliott & J. Sargatal (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 7. Jacamars to Woodpeckers pp. 296–555. Lynx Edicions: Barcelona.