MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE SARUS CRANE SPECIES GROUP (GRUIFORMES, GRUIDAE)

We report 1.3 kb of nitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence from the cytoch rome-b, tRNA(Thr) and tRNA(Pro) genes for Sarus Grus antigone, Brolga Grus rubicunda, White-naped Grus vipio and Japanese Grus japonensis Cr anes. Previous morphological, behavioural and molecular studies have s hown that the former three taxa comprise a monophyletic species group but have been unable to resolve relationships among them. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences demonstrates that the Brolga and White-na ped Crane haplotypes are most closely related. Estimates of the time b etween successive speciation events, generation time and effective pop ulation sizes suggest that there is potential for the mtDNA gene tree to differ from the species tree due to lineage sorting. Genetic diverg ences among haplotypes suggest that dispersal of ancestral Brolgas to Australia probably occurred in the early Pleistocene.