Phylogenetic affinities of the enigmatic Bare-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus hualon with description of a new genus

The recently described Bare-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus hualon from Lao PDR has a very distinct morphology and habitat (karsts). Mitochondrial and nuclear data from the type material demonstrated that P.hualon is sister to members of the genus Spizixos. To highlight its unique morphology and phylogenetic distinctiveness, we describe a new monotypic genus for the Bare-faced Bulbul.