PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS OF VESPERTILIONID GENERA (MAMMALIA, CHIROPTERA) AS REVEALED BY KARYOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Banded karyotypes of 50 species belonging to 23 genera were analyzed. The diploid chromosome numbers ranged from 26 to 50. For karyotypic co mparison we used a 44 chromosomes karyotype, consisting of 4 metacentr ic ana 17 acrocentric autosomes, as ''basic karyotype''. Almost ah of its 25 autosomal arms could be identified in each individual karyotype . In 8 chromosomes, i.e. 1/2, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23 and X, small inver sions were detected. As a result, each of the chromosomes mentioned oc curs in two states which differ slightly in their banding patterns. Th ese were used as character states in the cladistic analysts together w ith other chromosomal rearrangements. The implications drawn from the cladogram obtained are: The Miniopterinae clearly belong to the Vesper tilionidae but are the first to branch off from the common stem. The t ribe Myotini should be raised to the rank of a subfamily Within the la rgest subfamily Vespertilioninae, one autapomorphic chromosomal charac ter was found for each of the tribes Vespertilioninae and Pipistrellin i. In addition, both tribes are distinguished from the other Vespertil ioninae tribes by two synapomorphic features. These results allow for the first time an unequivocal classification of the systematically dif ficult ''pipistrelloid'' species. The species of the genus Pipistrellu s (sensu HILL and HARRISON 1987) are spread over the Pipistrellini and Vespertilionini. We therefore suggest the splitting of this heterogen ous genus into at least four genera. Only the members of the previous subgenus Pipistrellus constitute the genus Pipistrellus and belong to the Pipistrellini. The previous subgenera Hypsugo, Vespadelus and Fals istrellus, given generic rank in some recent studies, belong to the tr ibe Vespertilionini and are not closely related to Pipistrellus. For t he genera Eptesicus and Hesperoptenus, which belong neither to the Ves pertilionini nor to the Pipistrellini, the tribe Eptesicini was establ ished. The phylogenetic relations of this tribe and the status of the presumably polyphyletic tribe ''Nycticeiini'' could not be solved.