Evolution of South American spiny rats (Rodentia, Echimyidae): the star-phylogeny hypothesis revisited.

We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of echimyid genera based on sequences of the cytochrome b, 12S, and 16S mitochondrial genes. Our results corroborate the monophyly of Octodontoidea and the rapid diversification of echimyid rodents as previously proposed. The analyses indicate that the family Echimyidae, including Myocastor to the exclusion of Capromys, is paraphyletic, since Capromys and Myocastor are well-supported sister-taxa. We therefore suggest the inclusion of both Capromys and Myocastor in the family Echimyidae. Five other suprageneric clades are well supported: Dactylomys+Kannabateomys, Euryzygomatomys+Clyomys, Proechimys+Hoplomys, Mesomys+Lonchothrix, and Makalata+(Echimys+Phyllomys). Trinomys and Thrichomys have no clear close relatives, and Isothrix emerged as sister to Mesomys+Lonchothrix, but with no support. We suggest that most of the cladogenesis leading to the extant echimyid genera probably occurred during the Late Miocene, about eight million years ago.