title: Phylogeographic history of South American populations of the silky anteater Cyclopes didactylus (Pilosa: Cyclopedidae).
abstract: Cyclopes didactylus, commonly called silky anteater, is the smallest and least studied of the anteaters. It is an arboreal species occurring in rainforests, ranging from southern Mexico to Central and South America, with an apparently disjoint distribution between Amazon and Atlantic rainforests in Brazil. Although seven subspecies are recognized, little is known about its geographical variation. Thus, to evaluate the population dynamics and evolutionary history of the South American silky anteater, we analyzed 1542 bp sequences of the mitochondrial control region (CR), COI and Cyt-b genes of 32 individuals. Haplotype network, AMOVA and molecular dating analyses were performed and identified seven geographic clusters. The split of lineages separating Cyclopedidae (Cyclopes) and Myrmecophagidae (Myrmecophaga and Tamandua genera) was estimated around 41 million years ago (mya), and the intraspecific lineage diversification of C. didactylus began in the Miocene around 13.5 mya, likely in southwestern Amazonia. Tectonic and climatic events that took place in South America during the Tertiary and Quaternary seem to have influenced the evolutionary history of the species at different levels. This is the first study to investigate the population dynamics and phylogeography of the silky anteater, which contributes to a better comprehension of the biogeography of South America.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raphael Teodoro Franciscani
authors.initials: RTF
authors.lastname: Coimbra
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Regina
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila Clozato
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lara
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Antônio Alves
authors.initials: MAA
authors.lastname: Schetino
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabrício Rodrigues Dos
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Santos