PHYLOGENETIC PLACEMENT OF MIMIZUKU-GURNEYI (AVES, STRIGIDAE) INFERREDFROM MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA

The nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial 12S rRNA (125) and protein-c oding cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) spanning 1,010 and 1,130 base pairs, respectively, are reported for seven owl species representing six genera: Otus megalotis (Philippine Scops-Owl), O. longicornis (Luz on Scops-Owl), Bubo virginianus (Great Horned Owl), Asio flammeus (Sho rt-eared Owl), Ninox philippensis (Philippine Hawk-Owl), Tyto alba (Ba rn Owl; used as an outgroup), and the little known Mimizuku gurneyi (G iant Scops-Owl). Separate phylogenetic analyses of 12S, COI, and the c ombined 12S and COI data yielded congruent phylogenies, strongly suppo rting the phylogenetic affinity of Mimizuku with Otus, as opposed to B ubo. The conservative nature of mitochondrial DNA evolution in Mimizuk u, in sharp contrast to its unique derived morphological attributes, s uggests that Mimizuku is a recently evolved insular form of Otus that has undergone rapid morphological evolution towards gigantism, rather than being a small derivative of the much larger eagle-owls (Bubo) as has suggested previously.