Molecular Phylogenetic Affinities of the Night Parrot (Geopsittacus occidentalis) and the Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus)

Although designating the Night Parrot (Geopsittacus occidentalis) and the Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) as each other's closest taxonomic relatives is generally accepted, placing this group with respect to other Australo-Pacific parrots has proven problematical. To examine the phylogenetic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Auk 1994-10, Vol.111 (4), p.833-843
Main Authors: Peter R. J. Leeton, Christidis, Leslie, Westerman, Michael, Boles, Walter E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological taxonomies
Birds
Classification
DNA
Evolution
Feathers
Genera
Genetics
Geopsittacus occidentalis
Ornithology
Parrots
Parsimony
Pezoporus wallicus
Taxa
Topology
We they distinction
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Summary:Although designating the Night Parrot (Geopsittacus occidentalis) and the Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) as each other's closest taxonomic relatives is generally accepted, placing this group with respect to other Australo-Pacific parrots has proven problematical. To examine the phylogenetic relationships of these two species, a 924-bp fragment of the cytochrome-b gene was sequenced from single representatives of the following genera: Geopsittacus, Pezoporus, Neophema, Melopsittacus, Platycercus, Polytelis, Strigops, and Calyptorhynchus. Maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and distance trees all supported a close association between Geopsittacus and Pezoporus. These two genera were also found to be closely linked with Neophema and Melopsittacus. Despite superficial morphological similarities, Geopsittacus and Strigops (Kakapo) were found not to be closely related.
ISSN:0004-8038
1938-4254
2732-4613
DOI:10.2307/4088815