Four different DNA datasets, representative of all extant neotropical primate genera, were tandemly aligned, comprising some 6,763 base pairs (bp) with 2,086 variable characters and 674 informative sites. Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Neighbor-Joining analyses suggested three monophyletic families (Atelidae, Pitheciidae and Cebidae) that emerged almost at the same time during primate radiation. Combined molecular data showed congruent branching inside the atelid clade, placing Alouatta as the most basal lineage followed by Ateles and a more derived branch including Brachyteles and Lagothrix as sister groups. In the Pitheciidae, Callicebus was the most basal lineage with respect to Pithecia and to the more derived sister groups (Cacajao and Chiropotes). Conjoint analysis strongly supported the monophyly of the Cebidae, grouping Aotus, Cebus and Saimiri with the small callitrichines. Within callitrichines, Cebuella merged with Callithrix, Callimico appeared as a sister group of Callithrix/Cebuella, Leontopitecus as a sister group of the previous clade, and Saguinus was the earliest callitrichine offshoot. Two major points remained to be clarified in platyrrhine phylogeny: (i) the exact branching pattern of Aotus, Cebus, Saimiri and the callitrichines, and (ii), which two of these three families (Atelidae, Pitheciidae and Cebidae) are more closely related to one another.

Marmosets (genus Callithrix) are a diverse group of platyrrhine primates with 13-15 purported taxa, many of them considered endangered. Morphological analyses constitute most of the basis for recognition of these forms as distinct taxa. The purpose of this study was to provide a molecular view, based on mitochondrial control region sequences, of the evolutionary history of the marmosets, concomitant with a molecular phylogenetic perspective on species diversity within the group. An additional purpose was to provide the first comparative examination of a complete New World monkey control region sequence with those of other mammals. The phylogenetic analyses provide convincing support for a split between the Atlantic forest and Amazonian marmosets, with the inclusion of the pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) at the base of the Amazonian clade. The earliest branch of the Atlantic forest group was C. aurita. In the Amazonian group, the analyses do not support the recognition of C. humeralifer and the recently described C mauesi as distinct taxa. They do, however, support a clear distinction between C. argentata and a strongly supported mixed clade of C. humeralifer and C. mauesi. In the Atlantic forest group, the phylogenetic tree suggests mixing between C. penicillata, C. kuhli, and possibly C. jacchus. Most of the sequence features characteristic of other mammal control regions were also evident in marmosets, with the exception that conserved sequence blocks (CSBs) 2 and 3 were not clearly identifiable. Tandem repeat units often associated with heteroplasmy in a variety of other mammals were not evident in the marmoset sequences.

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Oysters (Ostreidae) manifest a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, whereby morphology is of limited value for species identification and taxonomy. By using molecular data, the aim was to genetically characterize the species of Crassostrea occurring along the Brazilian coast, and phylogenetically relate these to other Crassostrea from different parts of the world. Sequencing of the partial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene (COI), revealed a total of three species of Crassostrea at 16 locations along the Brazilian coast. C. gasar was found from Curuçá (Pará state) to Santos (São Paulo state), and C. rhizophorae from Fortim (Ceará state) to Florianópolis (Santa Catarina state), although small individuals of the latter species were also found at Ajuruteua beach (municipality of Bragança, Pará state). An unidentified Crassostrea species was found only on Canela Island, Bragança. Crassostrea gasar and C. rhizophorae grouped with C. virginica, thereby forming a monophyletic Atlantic group, whereas Crassostrea sp. from Canela Island was shown to be more similar to Indo-Pacific oysters, and either arrived in the Atlantic Ocean before the convergence of the Isthmus of Panama or was accidentally brought to Brazil by ship.

I. (2012). A molecular analysis of the evolutionary relationships in the Callitrichinae, with emphasis on the position of the dwarf marmoset. -Zoologica Scripta, 41, 1-10. The phylogenetic relationships among the Neotropical primates of the subfamily Callitrichinae (marmosets and tamarins) are controversial, especially with regard to the proposal of a new marmoset genus, Callibella, based on the analysis of sequences of a single mitochondrial gene. In this study, we combine the fast-evolving mitochondrial Control Region with four nuclear regions containing Alu elements in an attempt to provide a more conclusive assessment of the phylogenetic relationships among the marmosets (Callithrix, Cebuella and Mico), with special attention to the validity of Callibella. A large, representative sample of specimens was obtained, which include all the recognized genera and principal morphological and geographic groupings. The results of the analysis indicate unequivocally the existence of three independent lineages, corresponding to the Atlantic Forest (Callithrix), Amazonian (Mico) and pygmy marmoset (Cebuella) groups. The evidence also confirms the monophyletic relationship of the dwarf marmoset (Callibella) with the Amazonian marmosets (Mico), which indicates conclusively that this taxon is a member of the genus Mico, upholding the original description of the species as Mico humilis.

The systematics of the subfamily Callitrichinae (Platyrrhini, Primates), a group of small monkeys from South America and Panama, remains an area of considerable discussion despite many investigations, there being continuing controversy over subgeneric taxonomic classifications based on morphological characters. The purpose of our research was to help elucidate the phylogenetic relationships within the monkey genus Saguinus (Callitrichinae) using a molecular approach to discover whether or not the two different sections containing hairy-faced and bare-faced species are monophyletic, whether Saguinus midas midas and Saguinus bicolor are more closely related than are S. midas midas and Saguinus midas niger, and if Saguinus fuscicollis melanoleucus and Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli really are different species. We sequenced the 957 bp ND1 mitochondrial gene of 21 Saguinus monkeys (belonging to six species and nine morphotypes) and one Cebus monkey (the outgroup) and constructed phylogenetic trees using maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and maximum likelihood methods. The phylogenetic trees obtained divided the genus Saguinus into two groups, one containing the small-bodied species S. fuscicollis and the other, the large-bodied species S. mystax, S. leucopus, S. oedipus, S. midas, S. bicolor. The most derived taxa, S. midas and S. bicolor, grouped together, while S. fuscicollis melanoleucus and S. f. weddelli showed divergence values that did not support the division of these morphotypes into subspecies. On the other hand, S. midas individuals showed divergence compatible with the existence of three subspecies, two of them with the same morphotype as the subspecies S. midas niger. The results of our study suggest that there is at least one Saguinus subspecies that has not yet been described and that the conservation status of Saguinus species and subspecies should be carefully revised using modern molecular approaches.

Traditional classifications of Platyrrhini monkeys, based mainly on morphological features, are being contested by recent molecular data. The subfamily Callitrichinae (Platyrrhini, Primates) consists of a diverse group of species, many of them considered endangered. Our analysis of two DNA regions, a mtDNA gene (ND1) and a nuclear gene (intronic regions of the transferrin gene), suggests that Callithrix pygmaea may have sufficient variability to justify the existence of subspecies or even separate species. Phylogenetic dendrograms based on the ND1 region show that this species is more closely related to Amazonian than to Atlantic forest marmosets. These results reopen the discussion about diversity and conservation programs based exclusively on traditional classifications.

With 33 recognized taxa, the tamarins, Saguinus spp., constitute the most diverse genus of New World monkeys (Platyrrhini), and are found almost exclusively within the Amazon basin. This diversity can be subdivided into three main morphological groups, based primarily on pelage characteristics, although there is also an ecologically important division between the small‐ and large‐bodied forms (adult body weight ± 300 g vs. > 450 g, respectively). In the present study, the phylogenetic relationships among the large‐bodied forms were analysed using the sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial rRNA16S gene, from which 58 informative sites were identified. The analysis revealed the existence of four main lineages, three of which coincided with geographical and/or morphological patterns. However, Saguinus leucopus formed a highly distinct clade, contradicting expectations based on its morphology and distribution, but corroborating a previous study of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit I (ND1) gene. Whereas genetic differences between some closely related species were relatively small (< 1%), that observed between the two specimens of S. imperator was twice higher (± 2%), indicating the possible presence of distinct species within this taxon. Previous molecular clock analysis suggested that the earliest radiation event of the large‐bodied tamarins occurred sometime in the lower Miocene, whereas the most recent events, such as the division of the closely related S. midas and S. niger would have occurred during the Pleistocene. Most of these events would thus have taken place before the formation of the present‐day river system, which now constitutes a considerable barrier to gene flow among many populations.