Monophyletic Origin Of The Order Chiroptera and Its Phylogenetic Position Among Mammalia, As Inferred From The Complete Sequence Of The Mitochondrial DNA of a Japanese Megabat, the Ryukyu Flying Fox (<I>Pteropus dasymallus</I>)

The XVIIIth (New) International Congress of Zoology

Le XVIIIème (Nouveau) Congrès International de Zoologie

Monophyletic Origin Of The Order Chiroptera and Its Phylogenetic Position Among Mammalia, As Inferred From The Complete Sequence Of The Mitochondrial DNA of a Japanese Megabat, the Ryukyu Flying Fox (Pteropus dasymallus)

Masato Nikaido, Masami Hasegawa, and Norihiro Okada

Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan, nokada@bio.titech.ac.jp

Complete sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are very useful for the reconstruction of phylogenetic trees of mammals and, in particular, for inferring phylogenetic relationships among higher mammals. In this study, we determined the complete sequence (16,705 bp) of the mtDNA of a Japanese megabat, the Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus). We analyzed this sequence phylogenetically by comparing it with the complete sequence of mtDNAs of 35 mammals in an effort to reevaluate the enigmatic relationship between Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera and the relationships between them and other mammals. Maximum-likelihood analysis of twelve concatenated mitochondrial proteins from 36 mammals strongly suggest that the order Chiroptera is monophyletic and closely related to Fereuungulata (Carnivora + Perissodactyla + Cetartiodactyla). We estimate that megabats and microbats diverged from each other approximately 76 Myr BP, which is much older than previously thought, and discuss the origin and early evolution of Chiroptera based on these findings.

Date Created: 28 March 2000
Date Last Modified: 28 March 2000