MOLECULAR DIFFERENTIATION OF CORY AND MAN X SHEARWATERS (CALONECTRIS-DIOMEDEA, PUFFINUS-PUFFINUS, PUFFINUS-YELKOUAN) AND THE HERRING GULL COMPLEX (LARUS-ARGENTATUS, LARUS-FUSCUS, LARUS-CACHINNANS)

The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was amplified by PCR and sequenced directly in 21 shearwaters and 14 gulls. Within the monophyletic herr ing gull complex which is closely related and of recent origin, the Me diterranean herring gull (L. cachinnans) appears to be genetically dis tinct, thus confirming our preliminary study (WINK et al., 1994). The genetic speciation of P. puffinus and P. yelkouan (WINE; et al., 1993b ) was also corroborated. Within the Calonectris diomedea-complex, the existence of at least three different maternal lineages became obvious besides a genetic differentiation between the 2 subspecies C. d. diom edea and C, d. borealis, a pair of maternal lines was found within the C. d. diomedea group. Since birds belonging to one of these 2 materna l lineages were found in 3 to 5 of the mediterranean populations, a di spersion of female shearwaters throughout the range is suggested.