Abstract
Kites of the Elaninae group are small and medium-sized, mostly tropical raptors traditionally considered as an early diverged subfamily of the Accipitridae. We used nucleotide sequences of three genetic markers (mitochondrial Cyt b and COI, nuclear RAG-1) to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the Elaninae, other kites, and representatives of different families of diurnal raptors. Our results confirm the basal position of Elaninae, separated the latest in Early Miocene, including Chelictinia riocourii, which was not sequenced before and belongs to this group. Not only DNA data but also cytological, morphological, and ecological data show the singularity of Elaninae. We suggest elevating this group to family level as Elanidae within the order Accipitriformes. It includes Gampsonyx swainsonii as a monotypic subfamily because of distinctive traits and DNA sequence data. Taxonomic implications for other macrogroups of Accipitriformes are discussed.
Subject
Nature and Landscape Conservation,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous),Ecological Modelling,Ecology
Reference127 articles.
1. Conspectus of the ornithology of India, Burma, and the Malayan peninsula, inclusive of Sindh, Asám, Ceylon, and the Nicobar islands;Blyth;J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal,1850
2. Check-List of Birds of the World;Peters,1931
3. Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA
4. Eagles, Hawks, and Falcons of the World;Brown,1968
5. Raptors of the World;Ferguson-Lees,2001
Cited by
7 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献