Biogeography and evolutionary history of the N eotropical genus S altator ( A ves: T hraupini)

Aim We reconstructed the biogeographical and evolutionary history of S altator by producing a robust phylogenetic hypothesis that we used to evaluate the geographical origins of this genus, and assessed the potential influence of major Neotropical biogeographical features on the origin of lineages within this assemblage (i.e. phylogroups). Location Neotropics. Methods Our phylogenetic reconstruction is based on newly sequenced mitochondrial DNA data representing all known species of S altator . This phylogenetic hypothesis was then used to define phylogenetic structure and to assess divergence times for these clades. Phylogroups were assigned to unique biogeographical regions allowing us (1) to perform ancestral biogeographical analyses (using rasp ) to reconstruct ancestral areas for all nodes within our topology, and (2) to examine the geography of speciation and evolutionary history of S altator . Results The novel phylogenetic relationships in S altator showed that this tanager clade originated and diversified in S outh A merica in the mid‐ M iocene ( c . 13 Ma), ultimately yielding three distinct clades composed of a minimum of 26 phylogroups. A positive correlation was found between phylogenetic distance and co‐occurrence (percentage range overlap) for S altator . Main conclusions Our evolutionary scenario for S altator is consistent with a radiation initiated by uplift of the Andes during the last 10 million years. The biogeography of S altator and the large number of phylogroups recovered suggest that an allopatric mode of speciation is the major driver in the evolutionary history of this group of tanagers.