A time-calibrated species-level phylogeny of bats (Chiroptera, Mammalia).

ABSTRACT: Despite their obvious utility, detailed species-level phylogenies are lacking for many groups, including several major mammalian lineages such as bats. Here we provide a cytochrome b genealogy of over 50% of bat species (648 terminal taxa). Based on prior analyzes of related mammal groups, cytb emerges as a particularly reliable phylogenetic marker, and given that our results are broadly congruent with prior knowledge, the phylogeny should be a useful tool for comparative analyzes. Nevertheless, we stress that a single-gene analysis of such a large and old group cannot be interpreted as more than a crude estimate of the bat species tree. Analysis of the full dataset supports the traditional division of bats into macro- and microchiroptera, but not the recently proposed division into Yinpte

SUBMITTER: Agnarsson I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3038382 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature