Phylogenetic Analysis of Northern Hair Seals Based on Nucleotide Sequences of the Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene

Abstract

Phylogenetic analysis was performed on a 458-base pair sequence from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of northern hair seals (Phocidae: Phocinae) including Phoca hispida, Phoca largha, Phoca vitulina, Phoca fasciata, Phoca groenlandica, Halichoerus grypus, Cystophora cristata , and Erignathus barbatus . Results suggest revision of currently accepted phylogenetic relationships among the Phocinae. Both neighbor-joining and parsimony analyses indicate a sister-taxon relationship between the gray seal, H. grypus , and the ringed seal, P. hispida .