Phylogenetic relationships of the New World monkeys (Primates, Platyrrhini) based on nuclear G6PD DNA sequences

In order to test hypotheses about the phylogenetic relationships among livi ng genera of New World monkeys, 1.3 kb of DNA sequence information was coll ected for two introns of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) locus , encoded on the X chromosome, for 24 species of New World monkeys. These d ata were analyzed using a maximum parsimony algorithm. The strict consensus of the three most-parsimonious gene trees that result shows support for th e following clades: a pitheciine clade including Callicebus within which Ch iropotes and Cacajao are sister taxa, an Alouatta-atelin clade within which Brachyteles is the sister taxon of Lagothrix and which is sister to anothe r clade containing the callitrichines, and a callitrichine/Aotus/Cebus/Saim iri clade. Within the callitrichines, Callimico is the sister taxon of Call ithrix. Cebus and Saimiri form a clade. These results are broadly consisten t with previously published DNA sequence analyses of platyrrhine phylogeny and provide additional support for groupings provisionally proposed in thos e earlier studies. Nevertheless, questions remain as to the relative phylog enetic placement of Leontopithecus and Saguinus, the branching order within the Aotus/Cebus/Saimiri/callitrichine clade, and the placement of the pith eciine clade relative to the atelines and the callitrichines. (C) 1999 Acad emic Press.