title: Molecular Diversity Within Melanomys caliginosus (Rodentia: Oryzomyini): Evidence for Multiple Species.
abstract: Nucleotide sequences from the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome-b gene were used to infer phylogenetic relationships and estimate genetic distances from 10 individuals of Melanomys caliginosus and to explore the hypothesis that this taxon is comprised of multiple species. Individuals of four geographic populations of M. caliginosus from Central America (Nicaragua and Costa Rica), Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador, respectively, were included in this analysis. Topologies obtained from maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses were identical and produced clades referable to each of the geographic populations. Genetic distances between any pair-wise comparisons of the four groups (except between Panamanian and Venezuelan samples) were comparable to values estimated from comparisons of sister species in the closely related genus Nectomys. Distances between samples from Panama and Venezuela were greater than those of samples within the Ecuadorian and Central American clades, but less than that between species of Nectomys. Based on results from the sequence data, it appears that all four of the populations should be elevated to species level; however, additional data are needed to resolve the nomenclature of the Panamanian and Venezuelan populations.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-3131 USA,  jdelton.hanson@ttu.edu.
authors: J Delton
authors: JD
authors: Hanson
authors: Robert D
authors: RD
authors: Bradley
references: Science. 1988 Jan 29;239(4839):487-91
references: 2448875
references: Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2000 Sep;16(3):366-78
references: 10991790
references: Bioinformatics. 2001 Aug;17(8):754-5
references: 11524383
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Feb 2;96(3):992-5
references: 9927681
references: Mol Biol Evol. 2007 Aug;24(8):1596-9
references: 17488738
references: Evolution. 1985 Jul;39(4):783-791
references: 28561359
references: Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2003 Dec;29(3):582-98
references: 14615195
references: J Mol Evol. 1980 Dec;16(2):111-20
references: 7463489
references: J Mammal. 2016 Jun 9;97(3):663-688
references: 29692469
references: J Mammal. 2006 Aug 1;87(4):643-662
references: 19890476
references: Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2001 Feb;18(2):282-92
references: 11161762
references: Bioinformatics. 2003 Aug 12;19(12):1572-4
references: 12912839
references: Mol Phylogenet Evol. 1995 Dec;4(4):372-82
references: 8747294