Phylogeny of cooperatively breeding cuckoos (Cuculidae, Crotophaginae) based on mitochondrial gene sequences

Abstract

The Crotophaginae is a subfamily of New World cuckoos comprising the monotypic genus Guira and three ani species ( Crotophaga). All exhibit a rare form of cooperative breeding known as plural female joint-nesting, whereby two or more females lay eggs in a single nest. I reconstructed the phylogeny of Crotophaginae using the mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase I, II, and III, ATPase 6 and 8, and cytochrome b. The subfamily was monophyletic, implying a single origin of cooperative breeding in New World cuckoos. Crotophaga was also monophyletic with Guira as its sister taxon. Within Crotophaga, the smooth-billed ( C. ani) and groove-billed ( C. sulcirostris) anis formed the internal clade with the greater ani ( C. major) basal to this pair. This phylogeny is consistent with differences in reproductive patterns and social organization exhibited by crotophagine cuckoos, and will serve as a framework for future study of the evolution of cooperative breeding in this subfamily.