Phylogenetic relationships within parrots (Psittacidae) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene sequences

Blood and tissue samples of 40 individuals including 27 parrot species (15 genera; 3 subfamilies) were collected in Indonesia. Their phylogenetic relationships were inferred from 907 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene, using the maximum-parsimony method, the maximum-likelihood method and the neighbor-joining method with Kimura two-parameter distance. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that (1) cockatoos (subfamily Cacatuinae) form a monophyletic sister group to other parrot groups; (2) within the genus Cacatua, C. goffini and C. sanguinea form a sister group to a clade containing other congeners; (3) subfamily Psittacinae emerged as paraphyletic, consisting of three clades, with a clade of Psittaculirostris grouping with subfamily Loriinae rather than with other Psittacinae; (4) lories and lorikeets (subfamily Loriinae) emerged as monophyletic, with Charmosyna placentis a basal sister group to other Loriinae, which comprised the subclades Lorius; Trichoglossus+Eos; and Chalcopsitta+ Pseudeos.     

Molecular systematics of a speciose, cosmopolitan songbird genus: defining the limits of, and relationships among, the Turdus thrushes

The avian genus Turdus is one of the most speciose and widespread of passerine genera. We investigated phylogenetic relationships within this genus using mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the ND3, ND2 and cytochrome b genes. Our sampling of Turdus included 60 of the 65 extant species currently recognized, as well as all four species from three genera previously shown to fall inside Turdus (Platycichla, Nesocichla, and Cichlherminia). Phylogenetic trees based on maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony algorithms were congruent. Most of the Turdus taxa sampled fall into one of four clades: an African clade, a Central American-Caribbean clade, a largely South American clade, and a Eurasian clade. Still other taxa are placed either at the base of Turdus, or as links between clades. In no instance is any continent reciprocally monophyletic for the species distributed on it. A general lack of nodal support near the base of the phylogeny seems related to a rapid intercontinental establishment of the major clades within Turdus very early in the history of the genus. The monotypic genus Psophocichla is distantly related to, but clearly the sister of, Turdus rather than a constituent member of it.     

Phylogenetic relationships of Moxostoma and Scartomyzon (Catostomidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence data

A recent phylogenetic study based on morphological, biochemical and early life history characters resurrected the genus Scartomyzon (jumprock suckers, c . eight−10 species) from Moxostoma (redhorse suckers, c . 10–11 species) and advanced the understanding of relationships among species in these two genera, and the genealogical affinities of these genera with other evolutionary lineages within the tribe Moxostomatini in the subfamily Catostominae. To further examine phylogenetic relationships among moxostomatin suckers, the complete mitochondrial (mt) cytochrome b gene was sequenced from all species within this tribe and representative outgroup taxa from the Catostomini and other catostomid subfamilies. Phylogenetic analysis of gene sequences yielded two monophyletic clades within Catostominae: Catostomus + Deltistes + Xyrauchen + Erimyzon + Minytrema and Moxostoma + Scartomyzon + Hypentelium + Thoburnia . Within the Moxostomatini, Thoburnia was either unresolved or polyphyletic; Thoburnia atripinnis was sister to a monophyletic Hypentelium . In turn, this clade was sister to a monophyletic clade containing Scartomyzon and Moxostoma . Scartomyzon was never resolved as monophyletic, but was always recovered as a polyphyletic group embedded within Moxostoma , rendering the latter genus paraphyletic if ' Scartomyzon ' continues to be recognized. Relationships among lineages within the Moxostoma and' Scartomyzon 'clade were resolved as a polytomy. To better reflect phylogenetic relationships resolved in this analysis, the following changes to the classification of the tribe Moxostomatini are proposed: subsumption of' Scartomyzon 'into Moxostoma ; restriction of the tribe Moxostomatini to Moxostoma ; resurrect the tribe Erimyzonini, containing Erimyzon and Minytrema , classified as incertae sedis within Catostominae; retain the tribe Thoburniini.     

基于线粒体Cyt b基因的线蛱蝶亚科的系统发育

基于线粒体Cytb基因部分序列,以波蛱蝶为外群,采用邻接法、最大简约法和贝叶斯法分别构建了中国线蛱蝶亚科10属25种蝶类的系统发育树,探讨了各主要类群间的系统发育关系。其结果表明,所有线蛱蝶亚科聚为两大枝:第一枝包括环蛱蝶属、菲蛱蝶属、蟠蛱蝶属和缕蛱蝶属,其中缕蛱蝶属与环蛱蝶族亲缘关系较近;第二枝包括丽蛱蝶属、穆蛱蝶属、线蛱蝶属、带蛱蝶属、律蛱蝶属和翠蛱蝶属,其中线蛱蝶属为非单系群,翠蛱蝶属和律蛱蝶属则为单系发生,并构成姐妹群。     

Molecular phylogenetics of the giant genus Croton and tribe Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae sensu stricto) using ITS and TRNL-TRNF DNA sequence data

Parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F DNA sequence data are presented for the giant genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae s.s.) and related taxa. Sampling comprises 88 taxa, including 78 of the estimated 1223 species and 29 of the 40 sections previously recognized of Croton. It also includes the satellite genus Moacroton and genera formerly placed in tribe Crotoneae. Croton and all sampled segregate genera form a monophyletic group sister to Brasiliocroton, with the exception of Croton sect. Astraea, which is reinstated to the genus Astraea. A small clade including Moacroton, Croton alabamensis, and C. olivaceus is sister to all other Croton species sampled. The remaining Croton species fall into three major clades. One of these is entirely New World, corresponding to sections Cyclostigma, Cascarilla, and Velamea sensu Webster. The second is entirely Old World and is sister to a third, also entirely New World clade, which is composed of at least 13 of Webster's sections of Croton. This study establishes a phylogenetic framework for future studies in the hyper-diverse genus Croton, indicates a New World origin for the genus, and will soon be used to evaluate wood anatomical, cytological, and morphological data in the Crotoneae tribe.     

A nuclear DNA phylogeny and proposed taxonomic revision of African greenbuls (Aves, Passeriformes, Pycnonotidae)

The Pycnonotidae (bulbuls and greenbuls) comprise approximately 130 species and are widely distributed across Africa and Asia, mainly in evergreen thickets and forest. Recent molecular findings suggest a basal split between the African and the Asian species, although the three African Pycnonotus species are part of the Asian radiation and represent a relative recent immigration to Africa. In this study we investigate the phylogenetic relationships within the African clade, which with the exclusion of Pycnonotus contains approximately 50 species, of which the majority are placed in three large genera Andropadus , Phyllastrephus and Chlorocichla . We use three nuclear markers (myoglobin intron 2, ODC introns 6 and 7 along with intervening exon 7, and β-fibrinogen intron 5), together encompassing 2072 aligned positions, to infer the relationships within the African clade. The resulting tree is generally well supported and indicates that none of the three largest currently recognized genera are monophyletic. For instance, the species included in Andropadus represent three different clades that are not each other's closest relatives. The montane species currently placed in that genus form a strongly supported clade, which is sister to Ixonotus , Thescelocichla, Baeopogon and Chlorocichla , although within this clade the genus Chlorocichla is polyphyletic. The remaining Andropadus species fall into two groups, one of these with A . importunus and A . gracilirostris , which along with Calyptocichla serina form a basal branch in the African greenbul radiation. In support of some previous studies the Leaf-love ( Pyrrhurus scandens ) is placed within Phyllastrephus . We also propose a new classification that reflects the phylogenetic relationships among African greenbuls.     

Phylogenetic relationships of Oriental torrent frogs in the genus Amolops and its allies (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae)

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships among 20 species of Oriental torrent frogs in the genus Amolops and its allies from China and Southeast Asia based on 1346-bp sequences of the mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA genes. Oriental species of the tribe Ranini form a monophyletic group containing 11 clades (Rana temporaria + Pseudoamolops, R. chalconota, four clades of Amolops, Meristogenys, three clades of Huia species, and Staurois) for which the phylogenetic relationships are unresolved. The genus Amolops consists of southern Chinese, southwestern Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese-Malaysian lineages, but their relationships are also unresolved. The separation of southern and southwestern lineages within China conforms to previous morphological and karyological results. Species of Huia do not form a monophyletic group, whereas those of Meristogenys are monophyletic. Because P. sauteri is a sister species of R. temporaria, distinct generic status of Pseudoamolops is unwarranted.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Neotropical cichlid fish tribe Cichlasomatini (Teleostei: Cichlidae: Cichlasomatinae)

We have conducted the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the tribe Cichlasomatini including all valid genera as well as important species of questionable generic status. To recover the relationships among cichlasomatine genera and to test their monophyly we analyzed sequences from two mitochondrial (16S rRNA, cytochrome b) and one nuclear marker (first intron of S7 ribosomal gene) totalling 2236 bp. Our data suggest that all genera except Aequidens are monophyletic, but we found important disagreements between the traditional morphological relationships and the phylogeny based on our molecular data. Our analyses support the following conclusions: (a) Aequidens sensu stricto is paraphyletic, including also Cichlasoma (CA clade); (b) Krobia is not closely related to Bujurquina and includes also the Guyanan Aequidens species A. potaroensis and probably A. paloemeuensis (KA clade). (c) Bujurquina and Tahuantinsuyoa are sister groups, closely related to an undescribed genus formed by the 'Aequidens'pulcher-'Aequidens'rivulatus groups (BTA clade). (d) Nannacara (plus Ivanacara) and Cleithracara are found as sister groups (NIC clade). Acaronia is most probably the sister group of the BTA clade, and Laetacara may be the sister group of this clade. Estimation of divergence times suggests that the divergence of Cichlasomatini started around 44Mya with the vicariance between coastal rivers of the Guyanas (KA and NIC clades) and remaining cis-andean South America, followed by evolution of the Acaronia-Laetacara-BTA clade in Western Amazon, and the CA clade in the Eastern Amazon. Vicariant divergence has played importantly in evolution of cichlasomatine genera, with dispersal limited to later range extension of species within genera.     

基于细胞色素b的鸫亚科部分鸟类的系统进化

采用分子系统学方法对鸫亚科(Turdinae)16属35种鸟类的线粒体细胞色素b基因进行系统发生分析。所测序列经对位排列后共983bp,包含变异位点399个,简约信息位点349个。以太平鸟(Bombycillagarrulus)和雪松太平鸟(Bombycillacedrorum)为外群,采用邻接法、最大简约法、最大似然法和贝叶斯法分别构建鸫亚科的系统发生树。研究结果表明:构建的系统树将所研究鸫亚科鸟类分为2个支系。第1个支系包括鸫属(Turdus)、地鸫属(Zoothera)和宽嘴鸫属(Cochoa);第2个支系包括歌鸲属(Luscinia)、鸲属(Tarsiger)、鹊鸲属(Copsychus)、薮鸲属(Cercotrichas)、红尾鸲属(Phoenicurus)、水鸲属(Rhyacornis)、燕尾属(Enivurus)、啸鸫属(Myiophoneus)、石属(Saxicola)、属(Oenanthe)、溪鸲属(Chaimarrornis)、矶鸫属(Monticola)和欧亚鸲属(Erithacus)。其中地鸫属并非单系类群;红尾鸲属为并系发生,水鸲属和溪鸲属归并到这一支系;石属与矶鸫属互为姐妹群,再与属聚合构成另一支系;然后上述两个支系构成姐妹群;歌鸲属和鸲属聚成姐妹群。对于鹊鸲属、薮鸲属、啸鸫属、欧亚鸲属、宽嘴鸫属和燕尾属,本研究结果并没有完全解决它们在大分支内与其它属间的亲缘关系     

A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the family Rhacophoridae with an emphasis on the Asian and African genera

Using characters from mitochondrial DNA to construct maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood trees, we performed a phylogenetic analysis on representative species of 14 genera: 12 that belong to the treefrog family Rhacophoridae and two, Amolops and Rana, that are not rhacophorids. Our results support a phylogenetic hypothesis that depicts a monophyletic family Rhacophoridae. In this family, the Malagasy genera Aglyptodactylus, Boophis, Mantella, and Mantidactylus form a well-supported sister clade to all other rhacophorid genera, and Mantella is the sister taxon to Mantidactylus. Within the Asian/African genera, the genus Buergeria forms a well-supported clade of four species. The genera, except for Chirixalus, are generally monophyletic. An exception to this is that Polypedates dennysii clusters with species of Rhacophorus, suggesting that the taxonomy of the rhacophorids should be revised to reflect this relationship. Chirixalus is not monophyletic. Unexpectedly, there is strong support for Chirixalus doriae from Southeast Asia forming a clade with species of the African genus Chiromantis, suggesting that Chiromantis dispersed to Africa from Asia. Also, there is strong support for the sister taxon relationship of Chirixalus eiffingeri and Chirixalus idiootocus apart from other congeners.     

Molecular phylogeny of Pamphagidae (Acridoidea,Orthoptera) from China based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II sequences

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships of Pamphagidae were examined using cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) mtDNA sequences (684 bp). Twenty‐seven species of Acridoidea from 20 genera were sequenced to obtain mtDNA data, along with four species from the GenBank nucleotide database. The purpose of this study was analyzing the phylogenetic relationships among subfamilies within Pamphagidae and interpreting the phylogenetic position of this family within the Acridoidea superfamily. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using neighbor‐joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. The 684 bp analyzed fragment included 126 parsimony informative sites. Sequences diverged 1.0%–11.1% between genera within subfamilies, and 8.8%–12.3% between subfamilies. Amino acid sequence diverged 0–6.1% between genera within subfamilies, and 0.4%–7.5% between subfamilies. Our phylogenetic trees revealed the monophyly of Pamphagidae and three distinct major groups within this family. Moreover, several well supported and stable clades were found in Pamphagidae. The global clustering results were similar to that obtained through classical morphological classification: Prionotropisinae, Thrinchinae and Pamphaginae were monophyletic groups. However, the current genus Filchnerella (Prionotropisinae) was not a monophyletic group and the genus Asiotmethis (Prionotropisinae) was a sister group of the genus Thrinchus (Thrinchinae). Further molecular and morphological studies are required to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of the genera Filchnerella and Asiotmethis.     

基于核基因c-mos的鸫亚科部分鸟类系统发生关系

采用分子系统学方法对鸫亚科Turdinae 11属21种鸟类的核基因c-mos进行了系统发生分析.所测序列经对位排列后共572个位点,其中核苷酸变异位点111个,简约信息位点71个.以太平鸟Bombycilla garrulus作外群,采用邻接法、最大简约法和最大似然法分别构建其系统发生树.重建的系统发生树显示:所研究鸫亚科21种鸟类分成2个支系,第1个支系包括鸫属Turdus和地鸫属Zoothera.第2个支系包括红尾鸲属Phoenicurus、矶鸫属Monticola、水鸲属Rhyacornis、鸲属Tarsiger、溪鸲属Chainarrornis、石即鸟属Saxicola、燕尾属Enivurus、歌鸲属Luscinia和鹊鸲属Copsychus.红尾鸲属为并系类群,水鸲属和溪鸲属聚到这一支系;歌鸲属与燕尾属互为姐妹群,再与鸲属聚合构成另一支系;宝兴歌鸫Turdus mupinensis独立于鸫属及地鸫属之外,形成单独一个分支.     

Nimbya and Embellisia revisited, with nov. comb for Alternaria celosiae and A. perpunctulata

Previous phylogenetic analyses revealed that species within the genera Nimbya and Embellisia reside within a large monophyletic clade that also includes the genera Alternaria, Ulocladium, Undifilum, Sinomyces, and Crivellia with Stemphylium as the sister taxon. This study expands upon previous work by including many contemporary species of each genus and utilizes molecular and morphological characters to further examine relationships. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian analysis reveals that Nimbya is not a monophyletic genus but is split into two phylogenetically distant clades, which have different and distinct conidial morphologies. One of these clades resides completely within Alternaria. Phylogenetic analyses also reveals that Embellisia does not form a monophyletic genus but is split into four monophyletic lineages. Moreover, several species of Embellisia cluster individually with clades that are predominantly Alternaria, Ulocladium, or Stemphylium, yet these Embellisia spp. possess morphological characters that are diagnostically Embellisia. Thus, these data reveal that both Nimbya and Embellisia are polyphyletic as currently defined and taxonomic restructuring is necessary in order to resolve conflict between historical morphological and contemporary molecular-based phylogenies.     

Molecular phylogeny of Macaranga, Mallotus, and related genera (Euphorbiaceae s.s.): insights from plastid and nuclear DNA sequence data

Macaranga and Mallotus (Euphorbiaceae s.s.) are two closely related, large paleo(sub)tropical genera. To investigate the phylogenetic relationships between and within them and to determine the position of related genera belonging to the subtribe Rottlerinae, we sequenced one plastid (trnL-F) and three nuclear (ITS, ncpGS, phyC) markers for species representative of these genera. The analyses demonstrated the monophyly of Macaranga and the paraphyly of Mallotus and revealed three highly supported main clades. The genera Cordemoya and Deuteromallotus and the Mallotus sections Hancea and Oliganthae form a basal Cordemoya s.l. clade. The two other clades, the Macaranga clade and the Mallotus s.s. clade (the latter with Coccoceras, Neotrewia, Octospermum, and Trewia), are sister groups. In the Macaranga clade, two basal lineages (comprising mostly sect. Pseudorottlera) and a crown group with three geographically homogenous main clades were identified. The phylogeny of the Mallotus s.s. clade is less clear because of internal conflict in all four data sets. Many of the sections and informal infrageneric groups of Macaranga and Mallotus do not appear to be monophyletic. In both the Macaranga and Mallotus s.s. clades, the African and/or Madagascan taxa are nested in Asian clades, suggesting migrations or dispersals from Asia to Africa and Madagascar.     

Evolutionary diversification of spiny rats (genus Trinomys, Rodentia: Echimyidae) in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

Phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships within and among species of the Atlantic Forest spiny rat Trinomys (family Echimyidae) were examined using cytochrome b sequence data. Levels of sequence divergence among species of Trinomys are as high as those found among taxa of echimyids that are recognized as different genera. Trinomys contains three distinct monophyletic clades that show a striking concordance with vegetational distribution. Haplotypes of clade 1 are distributed along the coastal margins of southeastern Brazil, following the moist tropical forest. Members of clade 2 are found in the semi-deciduous tropical forest. T. albispinus represents clade 3 and is found in a more xeric vegetation. Estimates of divergence times separating the three clades are very deep and range from 1.6 to 7.4 millions of years, predating the climatic fluctuations of the Pleistocene. Therefore, the proposed Late Pleistocene refugia in the Atlantic Forest cannot account for the divergence of the clades of Trinomys , but most likely shaped the modern distribution of species. The current taxonomy of this group does not reflect the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the named species. However, morphological characters are congruent with the phylogeny uncovered by the molecular data. An extensive taxonomic rearrangement is suggested, reflecting phylogenetic relationships of monophyletic entities within the genus Trinomys , degree of sequence differences, and morphological diagnosability.     

Molecular phylogeny of Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

More than 10 species within the freshwater fish genus Sinoncyclocheilus adapt to caves and show different degrees of degeneration of eyes and pigmentation. Therefore, this genus can be useful for studying evolutionary developmental mechanisms, role of natural selection and adaptation in cave animals. To better understand these processes, it is indispensable to have background knowledge about phylogenetic relationships of surface and cave species within this genus. To investigate phylogenetic relationships among species within this genus, we determined nucleotide sequences of complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1140 bp) and partial ND4 gene (1032 bp) of 31 recognized ingroup species and one outgroup species Barbodes laticeps. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using maximum parsimony, Bayesian, and maximum likelihood analyses. Our phylogenetic results showed that all species except for two surface species S. jii and S. macrolepis clustered as five major monophyletic clades (I, II, III, IV, and V) with strong supports. S. jii was the most basal species in all analyses, but the position of S. macrolepis was not resolved. The cave species were polyphyletic and occurred in these five major clades. Our results indicate that adaptation to cave environments has occurred multiple times during the evolutionary history of Sinocyclocheilus. The branching orders among the clades I, II, III, and IV were not resolved, and this might be due to early rapid radiation in Sinocyclocheilus. All species distributed in Yunnan except for S. rhinocerous and S. hyalinus formed a strongly supported monophyletic group (clade V), probably reflecting their common origins. This result suggested that the diversification of Sinocyclocheilus in Yunnan may correlate with the uplifting of Yunnan Plateau.     

基于COⅠ和Cyt b基因序列的凤蝶科六属分子系统学研究

对凤蝶科6属25种的COⅠ基因和20种Cyt b基因的部分序列进行测定和分析, 探讨它们之间的系统发育关系; 以茶小卷叶蛾Adoxophyes honmai为外群, 用邻接法(neighbor-joining, NJ)、 最大简约法(maximum parsimony, MP)和贝叶斯法(Bayesian inference, BI)重建了凤蝶科6属的分子系统树。结果表明： COⅠ基因部分序列长度为661 bp, 其中保守位点417个, 可变位点244个, 简约信息位点191个; A+T的平均含量为70.3%, 明显高于C+G的平均含量29.6%。Cyt b基因部分序列长度为433 bp, 其中保守位点239个, 可变位点194个, 简约信息位点135个; A+T的平均含量为74.2%, 明显高于C+G的平均含量25.7%。分子系统树表明, 凤蝶属Papilio、 斑凤蝶属Chilasa、 尾凤蝶属Bhutanitis、 珠凤蝶属Pachliopta和喙凤蝶属Teinopalpus为单系性, 与传统形态分类结果相一致。但青凤蝶属Graphium单系性不够明确, 需要进一步探讨。研究结果为我国凤蝶科分子系统学研究积累了资料。     

Phylogenetic relationships of elapid snakes based on cytochrome b mtDNA sequences

Published molecular phylogenetic studies of elapid snakes agree that the marine and Australo-Melanesian forms are collectively monophyletic. Recent studies, however, disagree on the relationships of the African, American, and Asian forms. To resolve the relationships of the African, American, and Asian species to each other and to the marine/Australo-Melanesian clade, we sequenced the entire cytochrome b gene for 28 elapids; 2 additional elapid sequences from GenBank were also included. This sample includes all African, American, and Asian genera (except for the rare African Pseudohaje), as well as a representative sample of marine/Australo-Melanesian genera. The data were analyzed by the methods of maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood. Both types of analyses yielded similar trees, from which the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) Homoroselaps falls outside a clade formed by the remaining elapids; (2) the remaining elapids are divisible into two broad sister clades, the marine/Australo-Melanesian species vs the African, American, and Asian species; (3) American coral snakes cluster with Asian coral snakes; and (4) the "true" cobra genus Naja is probably not monophyletic as the result of excluding such genera as Boulengerina and Paranaja.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the dragonfly genera Libellula, Ladona, and Plathemis (Odonata: Libellulidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and 16S rRNA sequence data

Molecular phylogenetic relationships among members of the odonate genus Libellula (Odonata: Anisoptera: Libellulidae) were examined using 735 bp of mitochondrial COI and 416 bp of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Considerable debate exists over several relationships within Libellula, as well over the status of two putative genera often placed as subgenera within Libellula: Ladona and Plathemis. Parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses of the separate and combined data sets indicate that Plathemis is basal and monophyletic and that Ladona is the sister clade to the remainder of Libellula sensu stricto (s.s.) (all species within the genus Libellula, excluding Plathemis and Ladona). Moreover, two European taxa, Libellula fulva and L. depressa, were found to occupy a sister group relationship within the Ladona clade. Relationships within Libellula s.s. are less well resolved. However, monophyletic lineages within the genus are largely consistent with morphologically based subgeneric classifications. Although tree topologies from each analysis differed in some details, the differences were in no case statistically significant. The analysis of the combined COI and 16S data yielded trees with overall stronger support than analyses of either gene alone. Several analyses failed to support the monophyly of Libellula sensu lato due to the inclusion of one or more outgroup species. However, statistical comparisons of topologies produced by unconstrained analyses and analyses in which the monophyly of Libellula was constrained indicate that any differences are nonsignificant. Based on morphological data, we therefore reject the paraphyly of Libellula and accept the outgroup status of Orthemis ferruginea and Pachydiplax longipennis.     

Molecular phylogeny of the marine littoral genus Cafius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) and implications for classification

Jeon, M.‐J., Song, J.‐H. & Ahn, K.‐J. (2012). Molecular phylogeny of the marine littoral genus Cafius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) and implications for classification. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 150–159. A phylogenetic analysis of the marine littoral genus Cafius Stephens is presented based on molecular characters. The data set comprised partial mitochondrial COI (910 bp), COII (369 bp), 12S rDNA (351–354 bp), 16S rDNA (505–509 bp) and nearly complete sequences of 18S rDNA (1814–1830 bp) for 37 species. Twenty‐seven Cafius species, representing five of six subgenera, two Remus Holme species, three Phucobius Sharp species, monotypic Thinocafius Steel and four outgroups were included. The sequences were analysed simultaneously by parsimony analysis in Tree Analysis Using New Technology (TNT) with traditional manual alignment, direct optimization (DO) in the program POY4 under a variety of gap costs and partitioned Bayesian analysis for the combined data. The genus Cafius and nearly all of its subgenera were not supported as being monophyletic. Instead, all analyses (parsimony trees, DO tree under equal weighting and Bayesian tree) showed monophyly of Cafius + Phucobius + Remus + Thinocafius (clade Z) and all seven nested clades (A–G). However, the phylogenetic relationships among clades A–G differed among the analyses. The genus Phucobius was recovered as a monophyletic group within Cafius. The genus Remus was not monophyletic but formed a clade with C. rufescens Sharp and C. rufifrons Bierig within Cafius. The genus Thinocafius formed a clade with C. caviceps Broun, C. litoreus (Broun) and C. quadriimpressus (White) within Cafius. We propose new concepts for the genus Cafius and its related genera, and the seven nested clades.