NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Little Hermit
Phaethornis longuemareus (R. Lesson, 1832)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The little hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus) is a hummingbird that is a resident breeder in north-eastern Venezuela, northern Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Trinidad. This lowland species occurs in various semi-open wooded habitats, e.g. mangrove, secondary forest, plantations and scrub. In Trinidad it also occurs in rainforest. It is fairly common in most of its range, and therefore listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International on the IUCN Red List. Previously, several other small hermits were considered subspecies of this species. This includes the stripe-throated hermit (P. striigularis) of Central America and north-western South America, the minute hermit (P. idaliae) of south-eastern Brazil, the Tapajós hermit (P. aethopyga) of south-eastern Amazonia, and the black-throated hermit (P. atrimentalis) of western Amazonia. As presently defined, the little hermit is monotypic. It is among the smallest hummingbirds and birds overall with a total length of about 9 cm (3.5 in) and a weight of 2.5–3.5 g (0.09–0.12 oz). It is olive-green above with orange-ochraceous uppertail coverts and underparts (the belly often is greyer).
Wikipedia contributors, Little hermit; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:28:47.864223+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phaethornis longuemareus (R. Lesson, 1832)
- Name authority
- (R. Lesson, 1832)
- Common name
- Little Hermit
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Phaethornis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderApodiformes
- familyTrochilidae
- subfamilyPhaethornithinae
- genusPhaethornis Swainson, 1827
- speciesPhaethornis longuemareus (R. Lesson, 1832)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Phaethornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pale-bellied HermitPhaethornis anthophilus (Bourcier, 1843) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-throated HermitPhaethornis atrimentalis Lawrence, 1858 | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sooty-capped HermitPhaethornis augusti (Bourcier, 1847) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Straight-billed HermitPhaethornis bourcieri (R. Lesson, 1832) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray-chinned HermitPhaethornis griseogularis Gould, 1851 | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-billed HermitPhaethornis longirostris (Delattre, 1843) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Needle-billed HermitPhaethornis philippii (Bourcier, 1847) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Streak-throated HermitPhaethornis rupurumii Boucard, 1892 | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-browed HermitPhaethornis stuarti Hartert, 1897 | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-whiskered HermitPhaethornis yaruqui (Bourcier, 1851) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Koepcke's HermitPhaethornis koepckeae Weske & Terborgh, 1977 | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mexican HermitPhaethornis mexicanus Hartert, 1897 | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Trochilus longuemareus R. Lesson, 1832 R. Lesson, 1832 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=555049 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4FQ2C. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.