Phylogeny of the tribe Abrotrichini (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae): Integrating morphological and molecular evidence into a new classification

Abstract

The tribe Abrotrichini (five genera and 14 living species) is a small clade within the speciose subfamily Sigmodontinae (Rodentia, Cricetidae), representing one of the extant successful radiations of mammals at southern high latitudes of the Neotropics. Its distribution is mostly Andean, reaching its greatest diversity in southern Argentina and Chile. We evaluate the phylogenetic relationships within this tribe through parsimony and Bayesian approaches based on 99 morphological characters (including 19 integumental characters, 38 skull characters, 31 dental characters, three postcranial skeletal characters, seven from the male accessory glands and phallus and one from the digestive system) and six molecular markers (one mitochondrial and five nuclear). We include representatives of all, except one, of the currently recognized species of living Abrotrichini plus one fossil form. Based on total evidence, we recovered a primary division between the genus Abrothrix and a group including the long-clawed Abrotrichini, Chelemys, Geoxus, Notiomys and Pearsonomys. Both clades are recognized and named here as subtribes. The large degree of morphological variation observed within Abrothrix suggests that species in the genus fall into four groups, which we recognize as subgenera. In addition, the two known species of Chelemys do not form a monophyletic group, and Geoxus was recovered as paraphyletic with respect to Pearsonomys. To reconcile classification and phylogenetics, we describe a new genus for Chelemys macronyx and include Pearsonomys as a junior synonym of Geoxus. Our results highlight the importance of both morphology and molecules in resolving the phylogenetic relationships within this tribe. Based on biogeographical analyses, we hypothesize that Abrotrichini originated in south-western South America by vicariance and then diversified mostly by successive dispersal events.