Higher Taxonomic Relationships among Extant Mammals Based on Morphology, with Selected Comparisons of Results from Molecular Data

doi:10.1006/mpev.1998.0520

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

Volume 9, Issue 3, June 1998, Pages 572-584

https://doi.org/10.1006/mpev.1998.0520 Get rights and content

Abstract

Until a few decades ago, phylogenetic relationships among placental orders were ambiguous and usually depicted to radiate as an unresolved “bush.” Resolution of this bush by various workers has been progressing slowly, but with promising results corroborated by nondental, dental, and molecular characters. In this study we continue to seek resolution. A total of 258 nondental and 2 dental characters was analyzed by PAUP and MacClade on 39 vertebrate taxa (3 reptiles, 1 nonmammalian therapsid, and 35 mammals; 20 of the mammals are extant and 15 are extinct) to study higher taxonomic relationships with emphasis on Placentalia (Eutheria). About two-thirds of the characters are osteological, the rest concern soft tissues, including myological but excluding molecular characters (most are our data, the rest are from the literature). Cladistic analysis included all 39 taxa (fossil taxa help to evaluate polarities of characters) and all characters were given equal weight. Extant Mammalia are divided into Prototheria and Theria, the latter into Marsupialia and Placentalia. Placentalia comprises Xenarthra and Epitheria. Within Epitheria, Lipotyphla and Preptotheria (emended) are sister-taxa. Preptotherian taxa group into: ungulate-related taxa and various nonungulates. The former include Carnivora, Pholidota, Tubulidentata, Artiodactyla, Cetacea, Perissodactyla, Hyracoidea, Proboscidea, and Sirenia. A possible association to embrace Lagomorpha, Rodentia, Macroscelidea, Scandentia, Primates, Chiroptera, and Dermoptera is suggested. Significant differences between our findings and those of recent investigators include the dissociation of Pholidota from Xenarthra and the plesiomorphous position of Lipotyphla within Epitheria. Congruence between morphological and molecular results is closer than previously reported.

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Regular ArticleHigher Taxonomic Relationships among Extant Mammals Based on Morphology, with Selected Comparisons of Results from Molecular Data☆

Abstract

Fossil evidence for a late Cretaceous origin of “hoofed” mammals

Science

Rejection of the “flying primate” hypothesis by phylogenetic evidence from the ϵ-globin gene

Science

Phylogenetic systematics of the Primatomorpha, with special reference to Dermoptera

Mammal Phylogeny: Placentals

The limits of amino acid sequence data in angiosperm phylogenetic reconstruction

Evolution

On the milk dentition ofOrycteropus

Ann. South African Museum

On the organ of Jacobson inOrycteropus

Proc. Zool. Soc. London

The skull ofIctops

Proc. Zool. Soc. London

Perspectives from amino acid and nucleotide sequences on cladistic relationships among higher taxa of Eutheria

Eye lens crystallins and the phylogeny of placental orders: evidence for a macroscelid-paenungulate clade

Protein sequence analysis applied to xenarthran and pholidote phylogeny

A phylogenetic analysis of the Sirenia

On the development and morphology of the mandibular and hyoid muscles of mammals

Quart. J. Microsc. Sci.

The Mammalian Radiations: an Analysis of Trends in Evolution, Adaptation, and Behavior

A North American Oligocene pangolin and other additions to the Pholidota

Bull. Am. Museum Natural History

Confidence limits on phylogenies: an approach using the bootstrap

Evolution

Hyracoids, the sister-group of perissodactyls

The interrelation between Proboscidea, Sirenia, Hyracoidea, and Mesaxonia: The morphological evidence

Cladistics: A Practical Course in Systematics

Reexamination of the morphological evidence for the cohort Epitheria (Mammalian, Eutheria)

J. Mammal. Evol.

A Palaeocene proboscidean from Morocco

Nature

Arrangement of the families of mammals with analytical tables

Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections

Phylogeny of primates and other eutherian orders: a cladistic analysis using amino acid and nucleotide sequence data

Cladistics

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Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.

The orders of mammals

Bull. Am. Museum Natural History

Generalle Morphologie der Organismen, I

Generalle Morphologie der Organismen, II

Evolutionary Biology of the Primates

Higher-level systematics of eutherian mammals: An assessment of molecular characters and phylogenetic hypotheses

Annu. Rev. Ecol. Systemat.

Limitations of molecular methods for establishing the phylogeny of mammals, with special reference to the position of elephants

The origin of chordates—A methodological essay

A monograph ofOrycteropus afer

Proc. Zool. Soc. London

New cranial and postcranial evidence for the affinities of the Eurymylids (Rodentia) and Mimotonids (Lagomorpha)

The origin of rodents and lagomorphs

Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species cum Caracteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis

The suggested evolutionary relationships and classification of tree shrews

Sister-group relationships of mammals and transformations of diagnostic mammalian characters

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J. Vertebr. Paleontol.

Morphology, adaptations, and relationships ofPlesiorycteropus,

Bull. Am. Museum Natural History

MacClade: Analysis of Phylogeny and Character Evolution. Version 3.0

New evidence against tupaioid affinities of the mammalian family Anagalidae

Am. Museum Novitates

The origin and early differentiation of therian mammals

Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.

Toward a phylogenetic classification of the Mammalia

Molecular and morphological analysis of high-level mammalian interrelationships

The alpha crystallin A chain of the eye lens and mammalian phylogeny

Ann. Zool. Fennici

Classification of Mammals above the Species Level

Regular Article
Higher Taxonomic Relationships among Extant Mammals Based on Morphology, with Selected Comparisons of Results from Molecular Data☆