@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref17650, author = {S. J. Steppam and Brian L. Storz and Robert S. Hoffmann}, title = {Nuclear DNA phylogeny of the squirrels (Mammalia: Rodentia) and the evolution of arboreality using c-myc and RAG1.}, year = {2003}, keywords = {}, doi = {}, url = {}, pmid = {}, journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, abstract = {The family Sciuridae includes some of the most familiar species of small mammals and is one of the largest mammalian families. However, phylogenetic analyses are scarce. We report on a comprehensive molecular phylogeny for the family. Two nuclear genes (c-myc and RAG1) comprising approximately 4,500 bp of data (most of which reside in exons) are applied for the first time to rodent phylogenetics. Parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses of the separate gene regions and combined data reveal the presence of five major lineages and reject the conventional elevation of the flying squirrels (Pteromyinae) to one of the two subfamilies. Instead, flying squirrels are derived from one of the tree squirrel lineages. C-myc indels corroborate the sequence based topologies. The common ancestor of extant squirrels appears to have been arboreal, confirming the fossil evidence. The results also reveal an unexpected clade of mostly terrestrial squirrels with African and Holarctic centers of diversity. Our results demonstrate the phylogenetic utility of relatively slowly evolving nuclear exonic data even for relatively recent clades such as rodent families.} }

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