Evolutionary Relationship of the Brachyphyllinae to the Glossophagine Genera Glossophaga and Monophyllus

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Abstract
Analysis of the chromosomes of Glossophaga soricina, Monophyllus redmani (Glossophaginae), Phyllonycteris aphylla, Erophylla sezekorni, and Brachyphylla nana (Brachyphyllinae) revealed that there are no detectable differences in the G- and C-band patterns of the karyotypes of these species. Data from these species are compatible with the hypothesis that the karyotype of Macrotus waterhousii is most like that primitive for the family Phyllostomatidae (Patton and Baker, 1979). The karyotype of these five genera can be derived from that of Macrotus waterhousii by five pericentric inversions, seven fusions, and one fission. If the primitive karyotype for the family Phyllostomatidae is similar to that of M. waterhousii, then these members of the Glossophaginae and the Brachyphyllinae have shared a common ancestor after evolving this highly derived karyotype. These data cast doubt on the validity of the subfamily Brachyphyllinae, which may be more properly classified as a subtaxon of the Glossophaginae. The magnitude of classical morphological variation and the magnitude of chromosomal variation do not appear to be correlated.