The gallopheasants (genus Lophura) are pheasants of the family Phasianidae.[1] The genus comprises 11 species and several subspecies. Several species in this genus are known as firebacks, including crestless and crested firebacks, as well as the Siamese fireback.
Taxonomy
The genus Lophura was introduced in 1822 by the Scottish naturalist John Fleming to accommodate a single species, the Bornean crested fireback (Phasianus ignitusShaw, 1798) which is therefore considered to be the type species by monotypy.[2][3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek λοφος/lophos meaning "crest" with ουρα/oura meaning "tail".[4]
The Vietnamese pheasantLophura hatinhensis, formerly considered valid, has now been shown to be a variant of Edward's pheasant caused by inbreeding due to small population size.[6]
The Imperial pheasant (Lophura × imperialis) is now known to be a hybrid between Edwards's pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) and a subspecies of silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera annamensis).[7]