title: Remarkable ancient divergences amongst neglected lorisiform primates.
abstract: Lorisiform primates (Primates: Strepsirrhini: Lorisiformes) represent almost 10% of the living primate species and are widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia; however, their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography are still poorly understood. In this study we report the largest molecular phylogeny in terms of the number of represented taxa. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochromebgene for 86 lorisiform specimens, including ∼80% of all the species currently recognized. Our results support the monophyly of the Galagidae, but a common ancestry of the Lorisinae and Perodicticinae (family Lorisidae) was not recovered. These three lineages have early origins, with the Galagidae and the Lorisinae diverging in the Oligocene at about 30 Mya and the Perodicticinae emerging in the early Miocene. Our mitochondrial phylogeny agrees with recent studies based on nuclear data, and supportsEuoticusas the oldest galagid lineage and the polyphyletic status ofGalagoides. Moreover, we have elucidated phylogenetic relationships for several species never included before in a molecular phylogeny. The results obtained in this study suggest that lorisiform diversity remains substantially underestimated and that previously unnoticed cryptic diversity might be present within many lineages, thus urgently requiring a comprehensive taxonomic revision of this primate group.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7916-0805
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pozzi
authors.affiliation: Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes University Oxford OX3 0BP UK.
authors.forename: K Anne-Isola
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Nekaris
authors.affiliation: Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes UniversityOxfordOX3 0BPUK; Tanzania Forest Conservation GroupPO Box 23410Dar es SalaamTanzania.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perkin
authors.affiliation: Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes University Oxford OX3 0BP UK.
authors.forename: Simon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Bearder
authors.affiliation: Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes UniversityOxfordOX3 0BPUK; School of Natural & Social SciencesUniversity of GloucestershireFrancis Close HallSwindon RoadCheltenhamGloucestershireGL50 4AZUK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Pimley
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroanatomy MA 01/43 Ruhr University 44780 Bochum Germany.
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: 1185 East 39th Place Eugene OR 97405 USA.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Streicher
authors.affiliation: Endangered Primate Rescue Center, Cuc Phuong National Park Nho Quan District, Ninh Binh Province Vietnam.
authors.forename: Tilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nadler
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural SciencesNational Museums ScotlandChambers StreetEdinburghEH1 1JFUK; Institute of GeographySchool of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghDrummond StreetEdinburghEH8 9XPUK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitchener
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anthropology University of Mainz Anselm-Franz-von-Bentzel-Weg 7 55128 Mainz Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zischler
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Ethology Laboratory German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zinner
authors.affiliation: Gene Bank of Primates and Primate Genetics Laboratory German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roos
keywords: Africa; Asia; Galagidae; Lorisidae; Strepsirrhini; cryptic species; cytochrome b; mitochondrial DNA