KOEPFLI, K.-P.K.*; JENKS, S.; ZAHIRPOUR, T.; WAYNE, R.K.; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; The Sage Colleges; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Univ. of California, Los Angeles: Molecular Systematics of a Relictual Lineage: The Hyaenidae (Mammalia: Carnivora)

The mammalian carnivore family Hyaenidae consists of four extant species that are classified into four monotypic genera and two subfamilies. These four species are the living relicts of a once formerly diverse and widespread taxon, with as many as 69 known fossil species. Living hyaenas can also be considered ecomorphological relicts, because although they are morphologically disparate with regards to their dietary adaptations, this represents only a small sample of the greater ecomorphological diversity seen in extinct hyaenids. Hyaena systematics has been plagued by continuous controversy, because the morphological disparity among living species has made it difficult to decipher phylogenetic relationships using cranial and dental characters. Futhermore, there is uncertainty as to the relationship of the Hyaenidae to the other feliform carnivore families, which include the Felidae (cats), Viverridae (civets and genets) and Heprestidae (mongooses). We investigated these controversies through phylogenetic analyses of 3,678 base pairs of DNA sequence from four nuclear gene segments and the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. We find that among feliform carnivores, the Hyaenidae and Herpestidae are joined together as sister taxa with high statistical support across all analyses. Within the Hyaenidae, the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is the most basal taxon and sister to a clade that has the topology: (Crocuta crocuta (Hyaena hyaena + Parahyaena brunnea)). Our study has implications for trying to infer the evolutionary history of relictual taxa.