The diversification of the genus Monodelphis and the chronology of Didelphidae (Didelphimorphia) |
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| Authors: | Júlio Fernando Vilela João Alves de Oliveira Claudia Augusta de Moraes Russo |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Laboratório de Biologia Evolutiva Teórica e Aplicada, Departamento de Genética – Instituto de Biologia – CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil;2. Setor de Mastozoologia – Departamento de Vertebrados – Museu Nacional – UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | To evaluate the monophyletic status of the genus Monodelphis, and its species complexes, we used a 9.3‐kb multimarker alignment to build a phylogenetic tree based on the largest taxon sampling for this didelphid genus to date. Furthermore, using a Bayesian framework and six calibration points, we inferred the divergence times for the major Monodelphis lineages and their current geographical distribution to perform an ancestral state reconstruction for geographical areas. Our results indicate the monophyletic nature of Monodelphis and suggest ‘kunsi’ as a new species complex that includes Monodelphis kunsi and an undescribed species. Monodelphis is further subdivided into three clades showing a common vicariance pattern, with each major clade consisting of a northern South American lineage joined with an Atlantic Forest lineage. This geographic consistency suggests a vicariant event that might have been related to a warm period at the Oligocene/Miocene border, according to our time results. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London |
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| Keywords: | ancestral range reconstruction Bayesian relaxed clock biogeography eocene miocene oligocene |
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