title: Toward a resolution of a taxonomic enigma: first genetic analyses of Paradoxornis webbianus and Paradoxornis alphonsianus (Aves: Paradoxornithidae) from China and Italy.
abstract: Paradoxornis webbianus and Paradoxornis alphonsianus naturally occur in South-East Asia. Due to a recent introduction, a mixed population currently occurs in northern Italy. A preliminary phylogeographic analysis using samples from Italy and China found little genetic differentiation between the two taxa and revealed the existence of two molecular lineages, sympatric in some part of China, that do not correspond to the morphological classification. Possible taxonomic changes and preliminary inferences on the relationships between Chinese and the Italian populations and on the likely provenance of the founders introduced in Italy are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, ZooPlantLab, Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crottini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galimberti
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boto
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbuto
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casiraghi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005459:Fluorides; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes; D007558:Italy; D008689:Methacrylates; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D011140:Polyurethanes; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D008689:Methacrylates; D011140:Polyurethanes; C091935:Sequence (bonding agent); D005459:Fluorides