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Subordinal artiodactyl relationships in the light of phylogenetic analysis of 12 mitochondrial protein‐coding genes
Author(s) -
Ursing Björn M.,
Slack Kerryn E.,
Arnason Ulfur
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
zoologica scripta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.204
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1463-6409
pISSN - 0300-3256
DOI - 10.1046/j.1463-6409.2000.00037.x
Subject(s) - biology , mitochondrial dna , phylogenetic tree , cetacea , phylogenetics , zoology , evolutionary biology , gene , genetics
Ursing, B. M., Slack, K. E. & Arnason, U. (2000) Subordinal artiodactyl relationships in the light of phylogenetic analysis of 12 mitochondrial protein‐coding genes. — Zoologica Scripta , 29 , 83–88. Extant artiodactyls (even‐toed hoofed mammals) are traditionally divided into three main lineages: Suiformes (pigs, peccaries and hippopotamuses), Tylopoda (camels and llamas) and Ruminantia (bovids, deer, tragulids and giraffes). Recent molecular studies have not supported a close relationship between pigs and hippopotamuses, however, instead grouping hippopotamuses with Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises). In this study we have sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of a tylopod — the alpaca (Lama pacos), the only artiodactyl suborder not previously represented by a complete mitochondrial sequence. This sequence was included in phylogenetic analyses together with the complete mitochondrial protein‐coding sequences of other artiodactyls plus two cetaceans. Despite the length of the data set, the relationship between Suina (Suiformes sine Hippopotamidae), Tylopoda and Ruminantia/Hippopotamidae/Cetacea could not be fully resolved, however, a basal position of the alpaca (Tylopoda) relative to the other artiodactyls/cetaceans was unsupported.