Artemisiospiza, Klicka & Banks, 2011

Klicka, John & Banks, Richard C., 2011, A generic name for some sparrows (Aves: Emberizidae), Zootaxa 2793 (1), pp. 67-68 : 67

Artemisiospiza , new genus

Type species. Emberiza belli Cassin.

Diagnosis. Similar to Amphispiza but wing shorter relative to the tarsus, and tail longer ( Ridgway 1901:262). Molecular analysis also reveals differences in mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Etymology. The feminine name combines the Latin generic name for sagebrush ( Artemisia , from the Greek word Artemis ) with the Greek word for finch (spiza).

Included taxa. I n addition to the type species, this genus includes the species nevadensis (Ridgway) , which Rising (1996) recognized as distinct and Cicero (2010:113) has also recently suggested deserves specific status. The species belli includes the subspecies cinerea (Townsend) , clementae (Ridgway) and canescens (Grinnell) , fide Cicero (2010).