Phylogeography, Species Limits, Phylogeny, and Classification of the Turacos (Aves: Musophagidae) Based on Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA Sequences

Abstract

We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to examine patterns of differentiation and evolution in the Musophagidae, an avian family endemic to sub-Saharan Africa; attention was focused on the subfamily Musophaginae, the turacos, or louries. Phylogeographic analysis of 410 individual ND2 sequences from throughout the ranges of the currently recognized species revealed multiple instances of unexpectedly large genetic divergences and cryptic taxa. Within both montane and lowland species, including Tauraco hartlaubi and T: schalowi, Menelikornis leucotis, Musophaga macrorhyncha, and Gallirex johnstoni, fixed private haplotypes were found in disjunct portions of the ranges, suggesting negligible recent gene flow and evolutionary independence of populations. Two taxa originally described as subspecies (T: schalowi loitanus and T. s. marungensis), but not recognized for over 50 years, were found to be 100% diagnosable based on the mitochondrial sequences. The data also revealed the existence of two polyphyletic traditional species, Tauraco livingstonii and T. schuettii, as well as the polyphyly or paraphyly of all traditional superspecies complexes involving members of the genus Tauraco. Overall, our analyses of genetic and morphological variation revealed substantial and unexpected geographic diversity within the Musophagidae. We recognize 33 species-level taxa that represent the appropriate units for phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses (phylogenetic species). We used complete mitochondrial ND2 sequences and nuclear DNA sequences of an Aconitase intron and of the RAG-1 exon to infer the phylogenetic relationships among those species. The results include all the phylogenetic species and, for the first time, nuclear data. We present ' Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Ornithology), American Museum of Natural History.

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“…Hybrids between leucotis and donaldsoni are therefore to be expected. Nonetheless, sympatry of leucotis and donaldsoni presented here, together with the clear differentiation in molecular characteristics (F st 0.67; Perktaş et al 2020), strongly support the view that they should be treated as species.…”

“…Unfortunately, they gave no further details, prompting del Hoyo & Collar (2014) to observe that 'clarification is necessary as to whether the two co-occur or are parapatric in Bale Mts.'. In the absence of further data, parapatry was still assumed, most recently by Perktaş et al (2020). However, our findings show that the ranges of leucotis and donaldsoni overlap to a considerable extent.…”

“…Subsequent taxonomic revisions relegated donaldsoni to a subspecies of White-cheeked Turaco and until recently the following classification has been in widespread use: Tauraco l. leucotis, T. l. donaldsoni and T. ruspolii. However, a recent study by Perktaş et al (2020) revealed that donaldsoni is as divergent genetically from leucotis as ruspolii is, and proposed that all three be treated at species level. Furthermore, the same authors demonstrated that all turacos in the Horn of Africa do not belong to the genus Tauraco.…”

The taxonomic status of Crimson-crested Turaco Menelikornis (leucotis) donaldsoni

“…Unfortunately, they gave no further details, prompting del Hoyo & Collar (2014) to observe that 'clarification is necessary as to whether the two co-occur or are parapatric in Bale Mts.'. In the absence of further data, parapatry was still assumed, most recently by Perktaş et al (2020). However, our findings show that the ranges of leucotis and donaldsoni overlap to a considerable extent.…”

Potential of Inter- and Intra-Species Variability of CHD1 Gene in Birds as a Forensic Tool

“…The central role in modern forensic approaches is reserved for DNA analysis as an unavoidable step in law enforcement and endangered bird species protection [10]. Different molecular techniques are used for sex and species determination, such as DNA barcoding [12,13], polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) [14], metabarcoding avian environmental DNA [15], and DNA sequencing [16,17]. There are plenty of papers related to mammalian species identifi cation [11,18,19], while only few related to bird species identifi cation are available [10].…”