TY  - JOUR
A1  - Tritsch, Christian
A1  - Martens, Jochen
A1  - Sun, Yue-Hua
A1  - Heim, Wieland
A1  - Strutzenberger, Patrick
A1  - Päckert, Martin
T1  - Improved sampling at the subspecies level solves a taxonomic dilemma
BT  - a case study of two enigmatic Chinese tit species (Aves, Passeriformes, Paridae, Poecile)
JF  - Molecular phylogenetics and evolution
N2  - A recent full species-level phylogeny of tits, titmice and chickadees (Paridae) has placed the Chinese endemic black-bibbed tit (Poecile hypermelaenus) as the sister to the Palearctic willow tit (P. montanus). Because this sister-group relationship is in striking disagreement with the traditional affiliation of P. hypermelaenus close to the marsh tit (P. palustris) we tested this phylogenetic hypothesis in a multi locus analysis with an extended taxon sampling including sixteen subspecies of willow tits and marsh tits. As a taxonomic reference we included type specimens in our analysis. The molecular genetic study was complemented with an analysis of biometric data obtained from museum specimens. Our phylogenetic reconstructions, including a comparison of all GenBank data available for our target species, clearly show that the genetic lineage previously identified as P. hypermelaenus actually refers to P. weigoldicus because sequences were identical to that of a syntype of this taxon. The close relationship of P. weigoldicus and P. montanus - despite large genetic distances between the two taxa - is in accordance with current taxonomy and systematics. In disagreement with the previous phylogenetic hypothesis but in accordance with most taxonomic authorities, all our P. hypermelaenus specimens fell in the sister Glade of all western and eastern Palearctic P. palustris. Though shared haplotypes among the Chinese populations of the two latter species might indicate mitochondrial introgression in this part of the breeding range, further research is needed here due to the limitations of our own sampling.
KW  - Poecile hypermelaenus
KW  - Poecile weigoldicus
KW  - Multi-locus phylogeny
KW  - Phylogeography
KW  - DNA barcoding
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.014
SN  - 1055-7903
SN  - 1095-9513
VL  - 107
SP  - 538
EP  - 550
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - San Diego
ER  -