DNA PHYLOGENY OF THE MARSUPIAL WOLF RESOLVED

Citation
C. Krajewski et al., DNA PHYLOGENY OF THE MARSUPIAL WOLF RESOLVED, Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences, 264(1383), 1997, pp. 911-917
Citations number
42
Categorie Soggetti
Biology
ISSN journal
09628452
Volume
264
Issue
1383
Year of publication
1997
Pages
911 - 917
Database
ISI
SICI code
0962-8452(1997)264:1383<911:DPOTMW>2.0.ZU;2-F
Abstract
The phylogenetic position of the recently extinct marsupial 'wolf', or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), has been a source of contention in mammalian systematics for nearly a century. Thylacines were endemic to Australasia, but possessed striking anatomical similarities to Oli go-Miocene borhyaenid marsupials of South America. At issue has been w hether these features are indicative of common ancestry or convergent adaptation to carnivory. Recent morphological studies have supported b oth conclusions. Although current marsupial classifications group thyl acines with Australian dasyuromorphians, this putative clade is charac terized by mostly primitive morphological features. Attempts to determ ine thylacine affinities with ancient protein and DNA analyses have su pported, but not resolved, a dasyuromorphian placement. We report 1546 bp of mitochondrial DNA sequence (from cytochrome b and 12S rRNA gene s) and 841 bp of nuclear protamine gene sequence from the thylacine an d representatives of all or most other marsupial orders. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences shows unambiguously that thylacines are me mbers of Dasyuromorphia, and suggests a late Oligocene or very early M iocene divergence of familial lineages.