Molecular phylogeny of the snubnose darters, subgenus Ulocentra (genus Etheostoma, family Percidae)

Snubnose darters comprise one of the largest subgenera of the percid genus Etheostoma. Many species are described based on differences in male breeding coloration. Few morphological synapomorphies have been proposed for the subgenus and their relatives, making it difficult to delineate monophyletic clades. The phylogenetic relationships of the 20 snubnose darter species of the subgenus Ulocentra and 11 members of its proposed sister subgenus Etheostoma were investigated with partial mitochondrial DNA sequences including 1033 bp encompassing the entire mitochondrial control region, the tRNA-Phe gene, and part of the 12S rRNA gene. Two hypotheses on the relationship and monophyly of the two subgenera were evaluated. Both maximum-parsimony and neighbor-joining analyses supported monophyly of the subgenus Ulocentra and resolved some species-level relationships. The banded darter, E. zonale, and its sister taxon, E. lynceum, were not closely related to the snubnose darters and appear to be diverged from the other members of the subgenus Etheostoma, fitting their former distinction as the recognized subgenus Nanostoma. The sister group to Ulocentra appears to be a restricted species assemblage within the subgenus Etheostoma containing E. blennioides, E. rupestre, E. blennius, and the E. thalassinum species group. The placement of the harlequin darter, E. histrio, is problematic, and it may represent a basal member of Ulocentra or of the restricted subgenus Etheostoma. Despite recent estimates of divergence times between nominal Ulocentra taxa, each species exhibits its own unique set of mtDNA haplotypes, providing no direct evidence for current genetic exchange between species. The nominal taxa of snubnose darters thus appear to be evolving independently from each other and therefore constitute valid species under the Phylogenetic Species Concept.     

History repeated: recent and historical mitochondrial introgression between the current darter Etheostoma uniporum and rainbow darter Etheostoma caeruleum (Teleostei: Percidae)

Incongruence between recognized taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships between two species from a diverse clade (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) of stream fishes was found in a mitochondrial (mt) DNA gene tree. Two darters in subgenus Oligocephalus , Etheostoma uniporum current darter and Etheostoma caeruleum rainbow darter were sampled throughout their sympatric distribution in the Ozark Highlands of the central United States. Sequences from cytochrome (cyt) b and the first intron of the nuclear marker S7 were analysed separately using maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. Cyt b recovered both species as polyphyletic; E. uniporum haplotypes were interspersed within E. caeruleum . However, both species were monophyletic and non-sister taxa based on S7. The cyt b gene tree pattern is caused by introgressive hybridization resulting in the mtDNA replacement of E. uniporum haplotypes by those of E. caeruleum . Some E. uniporum haplotypes are shared with geographically proximate E. caeruleum , and this is consistent with recent hybridization, while other E. uniporum haplotypes indicate historical sorting of introgressed lineages. The mechanism of introgression is likely asymmetric sneaking behaviour by male E. uniporum , a mating tactic observed in related species. MtDNA replacement may have occurred in E. uniporum due to drift fixation in a historically small female effective population. Additional evidence for darter hybridization will likely be discovered in future molecular genetic surveys of the nearly 200 species in eastern North America.     

AFLP phylogeny of the snubnose darters and allies (Percidae: Etheostoma) provides resolution across multiple levels of divergence

The snubnose darters (Percidae: subgenus Ulocentra) are a group of small, brightly colored North American freshwater fish belonging to the genus Etheostoma. Phylogenetic relationships among snubnose species have been a challenge to resolve at all levels of divergence, from the monophyly of species to deeper relationships among subgenera. Here, we used amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) to estimate phylogenetic relationships among species from three closely related subgenera: Ulocentra, Etheostoma, and Nanostoma. With nearly complete sampling of recognized species, our analysis yielded a robust tree with statistical support at all nodes. Support was strongest for shallower relationships; support for internal nodes was either comparable to or greater than that of previous studies based on mitochondrial sequence data. Most recovered relationships were consistent with earlier hypotheses based on morphology or mtDNA sequences, with the exception of Etheostoma histrio, which was recovered as sister to Ulocentra. Our analysis indicates that careful use of AFLPs can yield statistically robust estimates of evolutionary relationships across multiple levels of divergence.     

A molecular phylogeny of the Percidae (Teleostei, Perciformes) based on mitochondrial DNA sequence

The family Percidae is among the most speciose families of northern hemisphere fishes with > 178 178 North American species and 14 Eurasian species. Previous phylogenetic studies have been hampered by a lack of informative characters, inadequate taxonomic sampling, and conflicting data. We estimated phylogenetic relationships among 54 percid species (9 of 10 genera and all but one subgenus of darters) and four outgroup taxa using mitochondrial DNA data from the 12S rRNA and cytochrome b genes. Four primary evolutionary lineages were consistently recovered: Etheostomatinae (Ammocrypta, Crystallaria, Etheostoma, and Percina), Perca, Luciopercinae (Romanichthys, Sander, and Zingel), and Gymnocephalus. Except Etheostoma and Zingel, all polytypic genera were monophyletic. The Etheostoma subgenus Nothonotus failed to resolve with other members of the genus resulting in a paraphyletic Etheostoma. The subfamily Percinae (Gymnocephalus and Perca) was not recovered in phylogenetic analyses with Gymnocephalus sister to Luciopercinae. Etheostomatinae and Romanichthyini were never resolved as sister groups supporting convergent evolution as the cause of small, benthic, stream-inhabiting percids in North American and Eurasian waters.     

Phylogeny of the subgenus sophophora (Diptera: drosophilidae) based on combined analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial sequences

Sequences from the nuclear (nu) alcohol dehydrogenase gene, the nu 28S ribosomal RNA locus, and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene were used both individually and in combined analyses to infer the phylogeny of the subgenus Sophophora (Diptera: Drosophilidae). We used several optimality criteria, including maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and minimum evolution, to analyze these partitions to test the monophyly of the subgenus Sophophora and its four largest species groups, melanogaster, obscura, saltans, and willistoni. Our results suggest that the melanogaster and obscura species groups are each monophyletic and form a closely related clade. The Neotropical clade, containing the saltans and willistoni species groups, is also recovered, as previous studies have suggested. While the saltans species group is strongly supported as monophyletic, the results of several analyses indicate that the willistoni species group may be paraphyletic with respect to the saltans species group.     

Molecular phylogenetics of the genus Ceratitis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The Afrotropical fruit fly genus Ceratitis MacLeay is an economically important group that comprises over 89 species, subdivided into six subgenera. Cladistic analyses of morphological and host use characters have produced several phylogenetic hypotheses for the genus. Only monophyly of the subgenera Pardalaspis and Ceratitis (sensu stricto) and polyphyly of the subgenus Ceratalaspis are common to all of these phylogenies. In this study, the hypotheses developed from morphological and host use characters are tested using gene trees produced from DNA sequence data of two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I and NADH-dehydrogenase subunit 6) and a nuclear gene (period). Comparison of gene trees indicates the following relationships: the subgenus Pardalaspis is monophyletic, subsection A of the subgenus Pterandrus is monophyletic, the subgenus Pterandrus may be either paraphyletic or polyphyletic, the subgenus Ceratalaspis is polyphyletic, and the subgenus Ceratitis s. s. might not be monophyletic. In addition, the genera Ceratitis and Trirhithrum do not form reciprocally monophyletic clades in the gene trees. Although the data statistically reject monophyly for Trirhithrum under the Shimodaira-Hasegawa test, they do not reject monophyly of Ceratitis.     

Phylogenetic relationships among Bactrocera species (Diptera: Tephritidae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Several members of the dipteran family Tephritdae are serious pests because females lay eggs in ripening fruit. The genus Bactrocera is one of the largest within the family with over 500 described species arranged in 28 subgenera. The phylogenetic relationships among the various species and subgenera, and the monophyly of specific groups have not been examined using a rigorous phylogenetic analysis. Therefore, phylogenetic relationships among 24 Bactrocera species belonging to 9 subgenera were inferred from DNA sequence of portions of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase II, tRNA(Lys), and tRNA(Asp) genes. Two morphological characters that traditionally have been used to define the four groups within the subgenus Bactrocera were evaluated in a phylogenetic context by mapping the character states onto the parsimony tree. In addition, the evolutionary trend in male-lure response was evaluated in a phylogenetic context. Maximum parsimony analyses suggested the following relationships: (1) the genus Bactrocera is monophyletic, (2) the subgenus B. (Zeugodacus) is paraphyletic, (3) the subgenus B. (Daculus) is a sister group to subgenus B. (Bactrocera), and (4) the subgenus B. (Bactrocera) is monophyletic. The mapping analyses suggested that the morphological characters exhibit a simple evolutionary transition from one character state to another. Male-lure response was identified as being a labile behavior that has been lost on multiple occasions. Cue-lure response was plesiomorphic to methyl-eugenol response, and the latter has evolved independently within the Bactrocera and Zeugodacus groups of subgenera. The implications of our results for devising a coherent, consolidated classification for Bactrocera is discussed.     

Phylogeny of the genus Aphis Linnaeus, 1758 (Homoptera: Aphididae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Aphis is the largest aphid genus in the world and contains several of the most injurious aphid pests. It is also the most reluctant aphid genus to any comprehensive taxonomic treatment: while most species are easily classified into "species groups" that form well defined entities, numerous species within these groups are difficult to tell apart morphologically and identification keys remain ambiguous and mostly rely on host plant affiliation. In this paper, we used partial sequences of COI/COII and CytB genes to reconstruct the first phylogeny of Aphis and discuss the present systematics. The monophyly of the subgenus Bursaphis and of the tree major species groups, Black aphid, Black backed aphid and frangulae-like species was recovered by all phylogenetic analyses. However our data suggested that the nominal subgenus was not monophyletic. Relationships between major species groups were often ambiguous but "Black" and "Black backed" species groups appeared as sister clades. The most striking result of this study was that our molecular data met the same limits as the morphological characters used in classifications: mitochondrial DNA did not allow the differentiation of species that are difficult to identify. Further, interspecies relationships within groups of species for which taxonomic treatment is difficult stayed unresolved. This suggests that species delineation in the genus Aphis is often ambiguous and that diversification might have been a rapid process.     

Phylogeography of the greenside darter complex, Etheostoma blennioides (Teleostomi: Percidae): a wide-ranging polytypic taxon

The greenside darter, Etheostoma blennioides (Teleostomi: Percidae), is a wide-ranging polytypic taxon that occurs throughout eastern North America. A previous morphological study recognized four subspecies (blennioides, newmanii, gutselli, and pholidotum), several morphological races, and three zones of morphological intergradation. We generated complete cytochrome b (1140bp) sequence data for 51 individuals from across the range of the greenside darter inclusive of all of the currently recognized taxa to assess genetic variation and taxonomic boundaries. Both maximum parsimony and mixed model Bayesian analyses resulted in two strongly supported deeply divergent clades including (1) a Tennessee River drainage clade, and (2) an Ohio River and Great Lakes basins, Interior Highlands, and Atlantic slope clade. Etheostoma blennius, a closely related congener, nested within the Tennessee River clade of E. blennioides, rendering the complex paraphyletic. Test of alternative topologies failed to support the current taxonomic designations. The inclusion of nuclear sequence data from intron 1 of the S7 ribosomal protein (523bp) from a subset of the populations was included to independently test whether the currently recognized taxa conform to distinct evolutionary lineages and also to clarify potential issues associated with ancestral hybridization. Although the nuclear data was less variable than the mitochondrial data, the monophyly of several of the subspecies could not be rejected.     

Molecular phylogeny and systematic in the genus Brachycaudus (Homoptera: Aphididae): insights from a combined analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes

Phylogenetic relationships among members of the Aphid genus Brachycaudus (Homoptera: Aphididae) were inferred from partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome B oxidase (CytB), two partial fragments of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and the internal transcribed spacer II (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA. Twenty-nine species, with several specimens per species, were included, representing all the historically recognized species-groups and subgenera used in the genus except the monospecific subgenus Mordvilkomemor. Results indicate that the genus Brachycaudus is a well-supported monophyletic group. While our results validate the monophyly of subgenera Thuleaphis , Appelia and Brachycaudus s. str. , they reveal two discrepancies in the classical taxonomy. First, the monotypic subgenus Nevskyaphis does not appear valid. Second, the traditionally defined Acaudus subgenus is not monophyletic. On the other hand, our phylogenetic trees corroborate Andreev's recent definition of Acaudus and Brachycaudina. However, they clearly show that the subgenera Prunaphis , Nevskyaphis and Scrophulaphis as defined by this author do not form monophyletic groups. Our results also highlight a highly supported clade that has not been discussed by previous authors; this clade could form a new subgenus, the subgenus Nevskyaphis . Finally, our study shows that molecular data and morphology meet the same limits in delimiting species groups and species themselves. Species groups in which taxonomic treatment is difficult are polytomous. Furthermore, except for one node clustering Brachycaudus s. str . and Appelia, intersubgeneric relationships remain poorly resolved even when several genes are added to the phylogenetic analysis. These results, together with previous studies in other aphid groups suggest that diversification might have been a rapid process in aphids.     

Phylogenetic reassessment of the Teloschistaceae (lichen-forming Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes)

The Teloschistaceae is a widespread family with considerable morphological and ecological heterogeneity across genera and species groups. In order to provide a comprehensive molecular phylogeny for this family, phylogenetic analyses were carried out on sequences from the nuclear ribosomal ITS region obtained from 114 individuals that represent virtually all main lineages of Teloschistaceae. Our study confirmed the polyphyly of Caloplaca, Fulgensia and Xanthoria, and revealed that Teloschistes is probably non-monophyletic. We also confirm here that species traditionally included in Caloplaca subgenus Gasparrinia do not form a monophyletic entity. Caloplaca aurantia, C. carphinea and C. saxicola s. str. groups were recovered as monophyletic. The subgenera Caloplaca and Pyrenodesmia were also polyphyletic. In the subgenus Caloplaca, the traditionally recognized C. cerina group was recovered as monophyletic. Because this study is based solely on ITS, to maximize taxon sampling, the inclusion of phylogenetic signal from ambiguously aligned regions in MP (recoded INAASE and arc characters) resulted in the most highly supported phylogenetic reconstruction, compared with Bayesian inference restricted to alignable sites.     

Evolutionarily independent genes and genomes and insights on genetic structure, evolution and conservation of the collis group of darters

Comparing variation across evolutionarily independent characters, notably nuclear and mitochondrial genes, yields a more robust estimate of diversification than is generally recovered from individual characters. Patterns of variation across multiple molecular markers from the mitochondrial ( 16SrRNA , cytochrome b ) and nuclear ( ldhA6 and aldB ) genomes were examined from six populations of Etheostoma collis and two populations of Etheostoma saludae , species aligned in the collis groups. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that sequence variation among individuals from the Roanoke, Tar and Neuse Rivers and the Catawba and Pee Dee Rivers, respectively, form highly supported, deeply divergent clades. Relationships of alleles sampled from Saluda River E. saludae and Cape Fear River E. collis to these lineages are unresolved, but all groups are reciprocally monophyletic for both nuclear and mtDNA loci. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that historical factors have had a strong influence on the distribution of genetic variation among populations. Genetic variation within the collis group is consistent with all previously proposed taxonomic hypotheses for the collis group, providing no taxonomic insights. From a conservation standpoint, each population of the collis group is an ESU, thereby warranting a drainage-specific management strategy.     

Phylogenetic relationships among Boleosoma darter species (Percidae: Etheostoma)

Darters represent a species rich group of North American freshwater fishes studied in the context of their diverse morphology, behavior, and geographic distribution. We report the first molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Boleosoma darter clade that includes complete species sampling. We estimated the relationship among the species of Boleosoma using DNA sequence data from a mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and a nuclear gene (S7 ribosomal protein intron 1). Our analyses discovered that the two Boleosoma species with large geographic distributions (E. nigrum and E. olmstedi) do not form reciprocally monophyletic groups in either gene trees. Etheostoma susanae and E. perlongum were phylogenetically nested in E. nigrum and E. olmstedi, respectively. While analysis of the nuclear gene resulted in a phylogeny where E. longimanum and E. podostemone were sister species, the mitochondrial gene tree did not support this relationship. Etheostoma vitreum was phylogenetically nested within Boleosoma in the mitochondrial DNA and nuclear gene trees. Our analyses suggest that current concepts of species diversity underestimate phylogenetic diversity in Boleosoma and that Boleosoma species likely provide another example of the growing number of discovered instances of mitochondrial genome transfer between darter species.     

Phylogenetic relations among percid fishes as inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequence data

Hypotheses of relationship among genera of Percidae have been conflicting. Based on different phylogenetic premises, the evolution of small benthic forms in Percidae has been interpreted as resulting from either convergence or common ancestry. In order to assess various phylogenetic hypotheses of Percidae we collected complete sequences (1140 bp) of mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b for 21 species of percids. Seven species representing four additional families of Perciformes were used as outgroups. Maximum parsimony and minimum evolution analyses both recovered single shortest trees, and the results of these analyses were generally congruent with one another. All analyses consistently recovered three monophyletic groups in Percidae: Etheostomatinae (Ammocrypta, Crystallaria, Etheostoma, and Percina), Percinae (Perca and Gymnocephalus), and Luciopercinae (Stizostedion, Zingel, and Romanichthys). As a result of this analysis we present a revised classification of Percidae and discuss the phylogenetic evidence for the independent evolution of small benthic species within Etheostomatinae and Luciopercinae.     

AFLPs resolve cytonuclear discordance and increase resolution among barcheek darters (Percidae: Etheostoma: Catonotus)

The use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences in phylogenetic analysis has been the subject of increasing scrutiny. A recent phylogenetic study of barcheek darters (Percidae: Etheostoma: Catonotus) revealed cytonuclear discordance, discordance among mtDNA loci, and discordance between mtDNA and morphometric hypotheses. In particular, mtDNA analyses hypothesized a paraphyletic barcheek darter clade, and a combined mtDNA and nuclear sequence topology was not well resolved. Here, we used amplified fragment length polymorphisms to test the monophyly of barcheek darters and to resolve relationships within the group. By including multiple populations of each species, we were able to generate a highly resolved tree that supports both the monophyly of barcheek darters as well as recently elevated species within the group. Analysis of three mtDNA loci indicates that saturation of highly variable sites best explains the discordant topologies among mtDNA partitions.     

Searching for natural lineages within the Cerylonid Series (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea)

Phylogenetic relationships within the diverse beetle superfamily Cucujoidea are poorly known. The Cerylonid Series (C.S.) is the largest of all proposed superfamilial cucujoid groups, comprising eight families and representing most of the known cucujoid species diversity. The monophyly of the C.S., however, has never been formally tested and the higher-level relationships among and within the constituent families remain equivocal. Here we present a phylogenetic study based on 18S and 28S rDNA for 16 outgroup taxa and 61 C.S. ingroup taxa, representing seven of the eight C.S. families and 20 of 39 subfamilies. We test the monophyly of the C.S., investigate the relationships among the C.S. families, and test the monophyly of the constituent families and subfamilies. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the combined data was achieved via standard static alignment parsimony analyses, Direct Optimization using parsimony, and partitioned Bayesian analysis. All three analyses support the paraphyly of Cucujoidea with respect to Tenebrionoidea and confirm the monophyly of the C.S. The C.S. families Bothrideridae, Cerylonidae, Discolomatidae, Coccinellidae and Corylophidae are supported as monophyletic in all analyses. Only the Bayesian analysis recovers a monophyletic Latridiidae. Endomychidae is recovered as polyphyletic in all analyses. Of the 14 subfamilies with multiple terminals in this study, 11 were supported as monophyletic. The corylophid subfamily Corylophinae and the coccinellid subfamilies Chilocorinae and Scymninae are recovered as paraphyletic. A sister grouping of Anamorphinae+Corylophidae is supported in all analyses. Other taxonomic implications are discussed in light of our results.     

Phylogenetic relationships of African killifishes in the genera Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

We have analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of 52 species representing all defined species groups (J. J. Scheel, 1990, Atlas of Killifishes of the Old World, 448 pp.) of the African aplocheiloid fish genera Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax in order to examine their interrelationships and to reveal trends of karyotypic evolution. The data set comprised 785 total nucleotides from the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b genes. The molecular-based topologies analyzed by both maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining support the monophyly of most previously defined species groups within these two killifish genera. The genus Aphyosemion is monophyletic except for the nested position of Fundulopanchax kunzi (batesi group; subgenus Raddaella) within this clade, suggesting that this taxon was improperly assigned to Fundulopanchax. The remaining Fundulopanchax species sampled were supported as being monophyletic in most analyses. Relationships among the species groups in both genera were not as strongly supported, suggesting that further data will be required to resolve these relationships. Additional sampling from the 16S rRNA gene allowed further resolution of relationships within Fundulopanchax, more specifically identifying the nonannual scheeli group as the basal lineage of this otherwise annual genus. Chromosomal evolution within Aphyosemion has been episodic, with the evolution of a reduced n = 9-10 metacentric complement having occurred in multiple, independent lineages. Polarity of chromosomal reductions within the elegans species group appears to support previous hypotheses concerning mechanisms of karyotypic change within the genus Aphyosemion.     

Phylogenetic position of tetraodontiform fishes within the higher teleosts: Bayesian inferences based on 44 whole mitochondrial genome sequences

Tetraodontiformes includes approximately 350 species assigned to nine families, sharing several reduced morphological features of higher teleosts. The order has been accepted as a monophyletic group by many authors, although several alternative hypotheses exist regarding its phylogenetic position within the higher teleosts. To date, acanthuroids, zeiforms, and lophiiforms have been proposed as sister-groups of the tetraodontiforms. The monophyly and sister-group status was investigated using whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences from 44 purposefully-chosen species (26 sequences newly-determined during the study) that fully represent the major tetraodontiform lineages plus all the groups that have been hypothesized as being close relatives. Partitioned Bayesian analyses were conducted with the three datasets that comprised concatenated nucleotide sequences from 13 protein-coding genes (with and without, or with RY-coding, 3rd codon positions), plus 22 transfer RNA and two ribosomal RNA genes. The resultant trees were well resolved and largely congruent, with most internal branches being supported by high posterior probabilities. Mitogenomic data strongly supported the monophyly of tetraodontiform fishes, placing them as a sister-group of either Lophiiformes plus Caproidei or Caproidei only. The sister-group relationship between Acanthuroidei and Tetraodontiformes was statistically rejected using Bayes factors. These results were confirmed by a reanalysis of the previously published nuclear RAG1 gene sequences using the Bayesian method. Within the Tetraodontiformes, however, monophylies of the three superfamilies were not recovered and further taxonomic sampling and subsequent efforts should clarify these relationships.     

Assessment of monophyly of species-groups within Afrotropical Empidini (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae), with a cladistic analysis of the Empis setitarsus-group

Abstract.  The Afrotropical Empidini are reviewed from a phylogenetic point of view. Seven monophyletic groups are recognized within the tribe, namely Empis ( Coptophlebia ) bivittata , E. ( C ) chrysocera , E. ( C ) hyalea , E. ( C ) namwamba , E. ( C ) poecilosoma , E. ( Disneyempis ) and E. setitarsus . Their monophyly is assessed by comparison with the remaining Empidini. The E. setitarsus -group is cladistically analysed to study the evolution of the length of vein M1 by optimization on the cladogram, and the status of subgenus Coptophlebia Bezzi is discussed. A key to the seven Afrotropical species-groups of Empidini is provided, genus Rhamphomyia is no longer recognized for the Afrotropical Region, and four new species belonging to the E. setitarsus -group, namely E. cinerarius sp.n., E. pseudosetitarsus sp.n., E. spinosa sp.n and E. spungaberaensis sp.n., are described and included in a key to all known species of this group.     

中国森林田鼠族系统分类研究进展(啮齿目:仓鼠科:䶄亚科)

森林田鼠族（Myodini）是䶄亚科（Arvicolinae）的重要类群,广泛分布于整个全北区及东洋区部分区域,该族目前存在的分类学问题是缺乏化石标本、短时间的物种分化、有限分子样本和部分类群采样困难等综合因素影响的结果。近年中国森林田鼠族的系统分类研究成果主要有：（1）绒鼠属（Eothenomys）的采样和系统发育研究基本涵盖了全部类群,发现1新亚属和4新种,分别为川西绒鼠亚属（Ermites）和石棉绒鼠（Eothenomys shimianensis）、金阳绒鼠（E.jinyangensis）、美姑绒鼠（E.meiguensis）、螺髻山绒鼠（E.luojishanensis）,原来被普遍接受的黑腹绒鼠福建亚种（E.melanogaster colurnus）、中华绒鼠康定亚种（E.chinensis tarquinius）、西南绒鼠康定亚种（E.custos hintoni）被证实为3个独立有效种,滇绒鼠（E.eleusis）、丽江绒鼠（E.fidelis）的种级分类地位进一步得到确认;大绒鼠贡山亚种（E.miletus confinii）和黑腹绒鼠滇西亚种（E.melanogaster libonotus）实为克钦绒鼠（E.cachinus）的同物异名。（2）基于形态和分子系统发育的研究支持恢复东亚䶄属（Craseomys）的属级分类地位,同时解决了䶄属（Myodes）的非单系起源问题;研究进一步证实山西䶄（Craseomys shanseius）应为棕背䶄的山西亚种（Craseomys rufocanus shanseius）。（3）高山䶄属（Alticola）的平颅高山䶄亚属（Platycranius）分类地位受到分子系统发育研究结果质疑,该亚属的唯一物种平颅高山䶄（Alticola strelzowi）与高山䶄属指名亚属物种聚在同一枝;库蒙高山䶄（A.stracheyi）实为斯氏高山䶄（A.stoliczkanus）的同物异名。基于近年系统分类研究结果,目前中国森林田鼠族分布有5属共30种。