Phylogeography of Phaethornis philippii (Aves: Trochilidae)

The use of the phylogeographic approach has revealed a significant dataset with respect to the diversification of the avifauna in the Amazon region. However, some taxonomic groups such as hummingbirds (Trochilidae) remain poorly studied. Here, we uncover the phylogeography of Phaethornis philippii, a monotypic hummingbird species that inhabits the understory forest types in southwestern Amazonia. We sequenced 54 tissue samples for scattered localities across the species’ distribution. Were sampled five genes, two mitochondrial (cytochrome b – CITB and NADH dehydrogenase subunit2 – ND2) and three nuclear (beta-fibrinogen gene, intron 5 – BF5, glyceraldehyde-3-phospho-dehydrogenase – intron 11 G3PDH, and Transforming Growth Factor Beta 2 – TGFB2), totaling 3233 base pairs. A Bayesian Inference recovered a fully resolved tree with overall high statistical support whereby six lineages delimited by Amazonian rivers exist. Population genetics analyzes also support a high degree of phylogeographic structure in P. philippii. Studies on the avifauna that inhabits «terra firme» forests usually present the same pattern of strong genetic structuration delimited by major Amazonian rivers. Therefore, our results showed an unexpected high degree of genetic structure for a monotypic and morphologically conserved species such as P. philippii, highlighting the need of a thorough taxonomic review focusing on this species.