Conjoint mitochondrial phylogenetic trees for canaries Serinus spp. and goldfinches Carduelis spp. show several specific polytomies

Full article

Published:

Volume 53(1), June 2006. Pages 1-17.

Language:

Spanish

Original title:

Las filogenias conjuntas de ADN mitocondrial de canarios (género Serinus) y jilgueros (género Carduelis) muestran politomías específicas

Keywords:

mtDNA, citrinella, Serinus, Carduelis, totta, syriacus

Abstract:

Aims: Canaries and goldfinches seem to form a phylogenetic group separated from other Carduelini tribe radiations. The present study conjointly analyses for the first time the phylogenetic relationships among canaries (genus Serinus) and goldfinches (genus Carduelis), and others, and the particular case of citril finch (Serinus citrinella) which has been included by different authors either in the canaries or in the goldfinches group. Also, two new species: Serinus totta and Serinus syriacus have been newly DNA sequenced and studied.
 

Location: Eurasian, African and American canary and siskin-goldfinches species living range was surveyed. Also, island (Corsica and Sardinia) and continental (Madrid, Alps and Pyrenees) citril finch individuals were analysed.
 

Methods: Mitochondrial cytochrome b (mt cyt b) DNA gene was sequenced. Parsimony and genetic distance based methodologies were used for dendrograms construction. Enforced constraints were used to test the inclusion of Citril Finch within either Serinus or Carduelis groups.
 

Results and Discussion: Canaries and goldfinches may or may not be different genetic radiations with different evolutionary pathways. However it is confirmed that canaries are the closest Fringillidae family relatives to goldfinches, because canaries and goldfinches have conjointly been compared in the same dendrograms, also with the Fringillidae subfamilies: Peucedraminae, Emberizinae and Fringillinae (tribes Carduelini, Fringillini and Drepanidini), as indicated in Table 1. Also, each of these groups shows monophyletic and non-monophyletic supported subgroups as indicated by bootstrap values. Citril finch is definitively included within the genus Carduelis. This is supported by cladistic, and distance-based phylogenetic molecular analyses; it was also postulated by Bernis in 1954 based on phenetics. Citril finch island individuals seem to be more ancient than those extant in the continent. Genus Loxia (crossbills) is included within genus Carduelis. Serinus totta seems to cluster with the small African canaries clade and Serinus syriacus is included within the Serinus pusillus/ Serinus alario subgroup. Monophyly of Carduelis and Serinus is not discarded because phylogenetic tree nodes are ambiguously supported.