Editing Piculet (section)

==Systematics and evolution==
Although not well known from [[fossils]], the evolution of piculets is now considered rather straightforward. The disjunct occurrence of the genera, with one African species of the Southeast Asian ''Sasia'' and one Southeast Asian species of the American ''Picumnus'' is of comparatively recent origin. Molecular dating, calibrated with geographic events in the absence of a good fossil record, points at the Late [[Miocene]], c. 8 [[mya (unit)|MYA]], as the point where the two genera divided into their two respective lineages. At that time, there was a notable [[global cooling]] period. The molecular distances between piculets and woodpeckers are comparatively small for subfamilies, agreeing with the hypothesis that the split between the three groups of woodpecker-like picids subfamilies occurred only during the [[Middle Miocene disruption|Miocene climatic optimum]], around 15 MYA. The later radiation of South American piculets is probably due to changes in [[topology]] and climate fluctuations during the [[Pliocene]] and [[Pleistocene]]. The genus ''Verreauxia'' may be accepted because of pronounced morphological similarities, but the two ''Picumnus'' lineages, despite having diverged long ago, are virtually alike except for head coloration.<ref>Fuchs ''et al.'', 2006.</ref>

The [[Antillean piculet]] (''Nesoctites micromegas'') has proven to be a very distinct species evolutionarily between piculets and woodpeckers<ref>Benz ''et al.'', 2006.</ref> and thus is nowadays placed in a subfamily of its own.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Benz | first1 = Brett W. | last2 = Robbins | first2 = Mark B. | last3 = Peterson | first3 = A. Townsend | year = 2006 | title = Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | pmid = 16635580 | volume = 40 | issue = 2| pages = 389–399 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.021 }}</ref>

The arrangement of species in the genera is as follows<ref>del Hoyo ''et al.'' (2002)</ref>

Genus ''[[Picumnus (bird)|Picumnus]]''
* [[Speckled piculet]],  ''P. innominatus''
* [[Bar-breasted piculet]],  ''P. aurifrons''
* [[Orinoco piculet]],  ''P. pumilus''
* [[Lafresnaye's piculet]],  ''P. lafresnayi''
* [[Golden-spangled piculet]],  ''P. exilis''
* [[Black-dotted piculet]],  ''P. nigropunctatus''
* [[Ecuadorian piculet]],  ''P. sclateri''
* [[Scaled piculet]],  ''P. squamulatus''
* [[White-bellied piculet]],  ''P. spilogaster''
* [[Arrowhead piculet]],  ''P. minutissimus''
* [[Spotted piculet]],  ''P. pygmaeus''
* [[Speckle-chested piculet]],  ''P. steindachneri''
* [[Varzea piculet]],  ''P. varzeae''
* [[White-barred piculet]],  ''P. cirratus''
* [[Ocellated piculet]],  ''P. dorbignyanus''
* [[Ochre-collared piculet]],  ''P. temminckii''
* [[White-wedged piculet]],  ''P. albosquamatus''
* [[Rusty-necked piculet]],  ''P. fuscus''
* [[Rufous-breasted piculet]],  ''P. rufiventris''
* [[Ochraceous piculet]],  ''P. limae''
* [[Mottled piculet]],  ''P. nebulosus''
* [[Plain-breasted piculet]],  ''P. castelnau''
* [[Fine-barred piculet]],  ''P. subtilis''
* [[Olivaceous piculet]],  ''P. olivaceus''
* [[Greyish piculet]],  ''P. granadensis''<!-- BullBOC123:7 -->
* [[Chestnut piculet]],  ''P. cinnamomeus''

Genus ''[[Sasia]]''
* [[Rufous piculet]],  ''S. abnormis''
* [[White-browed piculet]],  ''S. ochracea''

Genus ''[[Verreauxia (bird)|Verreauxia]]''
* [[African piculet]], ''V. africana''