0000000000605852
AUTHOR
Christian Sturmbauer
Paraphyly of the Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) suggested from cytochrome b sequences
The phylogenetic relationships of the Blue Tit-Azure Tit assemblage (genus Parus; Aves: Passeriformes) were studied using mitochondrial DNA sequences of 24 specimens representing seven subspecies from Eurasia and North Africa. Previous work based on comparative morphological and acoustic data suggested a division of the Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) into two species. Our analyses clearly indicate that the Blue Tit represents a paraphyletic assemblage, including a European/Middle Asian clade that is the sister group to the Azure Tit (Parus cyanus) and a North African clade. The North African clade (teneriffae subspecies group) is a sister group to the European Blue Tit/Azure Tit clade. We sugge…
Phylogeography of the Eurasian Willow Tit (Parus montanus) based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene.
The phylogeographic relationships of the trans-Palearctic Willow Tit assemblage were studied by obtaining sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from 34 specimens representing nine subspecies from across the species range. Four distinct genetic groups were identified: Parus montanus weigoldicus, P. m. affinis, P. m. songarus, and a clade containing six Eurasian subspecies (ssp. baicalensis, borealis, montanus, restrictus, rhenanus, and sachalinensis). P. m. weigoldicus, P. m. affinis, and P. m. songarus were reciprocally monophyletic and separated from each other and other subspecies by uncorrected genetic distances between 1.9 and 5.8%. The remaining six subspecies were clo…