Multilocus phylogeny and biogeography of the New World Pheucticus grosbeaks (Ayes: Cardinalidae)

Using a multilocus approach, we investigated the tempo and pattern of diversification in a widely distributed New World songbird, the cardinalid genus Pheucticus. Each of the three geographic groups recovered (North American, Middle American, and South American) was comprised of a pair of currently recognized species, and four, three, and three geographically and genetically distinct phylogeographic lineages respectively. Diversification within Pheucticus appears to have occurred at a relatively constant pace throughout the Pleistocene and evenly across a broad latitudinal distribution. The Isthmus of Panama completion and Pleistocene glacial cycles both appear to have played prominent roles in the diversification of this group. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.