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Citation for Study 11504

About Citation title: "Evolutionary and biogeographic history of weasel-like carnivorans (Musteloidea)".
About Study name: "Evolutionary and biogeographic history of weasel-like carnivorans (Musteloidea)".
About This study is part of submission 11494 (Status: Published).

Citation

Sato J., Wolsan M., Prevosti F.J., D?el?a G., Begg C., Begg K., Hosoda T., Campbell K.L., & Suzuki H. 2012. Evolutionary and biogeographic history of weasel-like carnivorans (Musteloidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 63: 745-757.

Authors

  • Sato J.
  • Wolsan M.
  • Prevosti F.J.
  • D?el?a G.
  • Begg C.
  • Begg K.
  • Hosoda T.
  • Campbell K.L.
  • Suzuki H.

Abstract

A concatenated (8492 bp) nuclear?mitochondrial DNA dataset from 44 musteloids (including the first genetic data for Lyncodon patagonicus) was analysed with parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods of phylogenetic and biogeographical inference and two Bayesian methods of chronological inference. The results suggest that Musteloidea emerged at approximately 32.5?31 Ma (millions of years before present) in Asia, shortly after the greenhouse?icehouse global climate shift at the Eocene?Oligocene transition. During approximately 2.5?4 million years of the initial radiation, which proceeded wholly or mostly in Asia, musteloids diversified into four primary divisions: the Mephitidae lineage separated first, succeeded by Ailuridae and finally the divergence into the Procyonidae and Mustelidae lineages. Mustelidae arose at approximately 16 Ma within the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum in Asia or North America. Following the initial separation of Taxidiinae, early mustelids underwent an extensive radiation that lasted for approximately 4?4.5 million years during the late Middle and early Late Miocene. The early divergences of this radiation occurred in Asia and produced offshoots that have survived to today mostly in badger and marten ecological niches (Melinae, Mellivorinae, Helictidinae, Guloninae). The late divergences occurred in Asia, or Asia and Africa, and gave rise to the most crownward mustelids, which have adapted to other niches including the weasel, polecat, mink, and otter ecomorphs (Mustelinae, Lutrinae, Ictonychinae). Contrary to traditional beliefs, the badger, marten, weasel, polecat, and mink ecomorphs each evolved independently more than once within Mustelidae. Ictonychinae (which is most closely related to Lutrinae) arose at approximately 9.5?9 Ma (early Late Miocene) in Asia or Africa, where it diverged into the lineages for the Old World (mostly African) Ictonychini (Ictonyx, Poecilictis, Poecilogale, Vormela) and the New World (South and Central American) Lyncodontini (Lyncodon, Galictis). The Messinian Salinity Crisis at the Miocene?Pliocene transition interposed the origins of Ictonychini (at approximately 6.5?6 Ma in Asia or Africa) and its African subclade (at approximately 5?4.5 Ma in Africa). Lyncodontini originated at approximately 3?2.5 Ma at the Pliocene?Pleistocene transition in South America, slightly after the emergence of the Panamanian land bridge that provided for the Great American Biotic Interchange. As the genera Martes and Ictonyx (as currently circumscribed) are paraphyletic with respect to genera Gulo and Poecilogale, respectively, we propose that Pekania and Poecilictis be treated as valid genera and that ?Martes? pennanti and ?Ictonyx? libyca be respectively assigned to these genera.

Keywords

Biogeography; Carnivora; Divergence times; Evolution; Mustelidae; Phylogeny

External links

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  • Canonical resource URI: http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S11504
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