title: Systematic affinities of the lyrebirds (Passeriformes: Menura), with a novel classification of the major groups of passerine birds.
abstract: Phylogenetic relationships of the lyrebirds are investigated using DNA sequence data. The aligned data matrix consists of 4027 bp obtained from three nuclear genes (c-myc, RAG-1 and myoglobin intron II) and two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and ND2). Both maximum-likelihood and parsimony analyses show that the lyrebirds unambiguously belong to the oscine radiation, and that they are the sister taxon to all other oscines. The results do not support the suggestion based on DNA-DNA hybridization data (Sibley and Ahlquist, 1990) that the treecreepers and bowerbirds are part of the lyrebird clade. Nevertheless, treecreepers and bowerbirds are sister taxa to all other oscines (except the lyrebirds) and may constitute a monophyletic group, although bootstrap support values for this clade are low. A major disagreement between the present analysis and that based on DNA-DNA hybridization data is that the Corvida (sensu Sibley and Ahlquist, 1990) and Passerida are not reciprocally monophyletic, as we find the latter group be nested within the Corvida. Also, the superfamilies Meliphagoidea and Corvoidea sensu, are not recovered as monophyletic in the present study. Within the oscine radiation, all taxa belonging to the earliest splits are confined to the Australo-Papuan region. This suggests strongly that the origins and early radiation of the oscines occurred in the southern supercontinent Gondwana. A new classification of the major groups of passerines is presented following from the results presented in the present study, as well as those published recently on analyses of sequence data from the nuclear c-myc and RAG-1 genes (Ericson et al., 2002; Irestedt et al., 2001).
authors.affiliation: Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden. per.ericson@nrm.se
authors.forename: Per G P
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Ericson
authors.forename: Les
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Christidis
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irestedt
authors.forename: Janette A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Norman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000235:genetics; D009245:NADH Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D020308:Songbirds / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009211:Myoglobin; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; C064658:RAG-1 protein; D004247:DNA; D009245:NADH Dehydrogenase