New candidate species most closely related to penguins

The Basal Penguin (Aves: Sphenisciformes) Perudyptes devriesi and a Phylogenetic Evaluation of the Penguin Fossil Record

“…A second alternative hypothesis links Sphenisciformes and Ciconiiformes (Slack et al, 2003Harrison et al, 2004;Watanabe et al, 2006). Thus far, this hypothesis has been supported exclusively by mitochondrial sequence data, and no morphological evidence has not been put forward to support a Sphenisciformes-Ciconiiformes clade.…”

Introns outperform exons in analyses of basal avian phylogeny using clathrin heavy chain genes

“…Studies using these sequences have had limited resolution at the base of Neoaves (e.g. Groth and Barrowclough, 1999;van Tuinen et al, 2000;Chubb, 2004;Watanabe et al, 2006;Gibb et al, 2007).…”

Mitochondrial genome of the black-throated loon, Gavia arctica (Gaviiformes: Gaviidae): phylogeny and evolutionary history

“…Gaviiformes, Sphenisciformes, Procellariiformes, Podicipediformes, Ciconiiformes, and Pelecaniformes), but their phylogenetic relationships are still unclear (Watanabe et al 2006). Our data indicated that loons (Gaviiformes) can share close relationships with Sphenisciformes and Ciconiiformes (Figure 1).…”