Note on the phylogenetic position of Eptesicus species in the Vespertilionidae family (Chiroptera) using Brazilian bats and RAG2 sequences

The phylogenetic position of the Eptesicus genus in the Vespertilionidae family has been constantly changed after morphology, cytogenetics and molecular studies. For example, the reallocation of some African Eptesicus species from a subgenus of the Pipistrellus genus to the Neoromicia genus, and also the reallocation of E. nasutus to the Rhyneptesicus genus, both indicated uncertainty about the monophyly of this genus. Moreover, New World species of Eptesicus seems to be more closely related to species of Histiotus than they are to Old World species, with Histiotus being considered a subgenus of Eptesicus. Here, Salomon et al perform a phylogenetic analysis using the DNA obtained from a specimen of Eptesicus furinalis collected in Southern Brazil and also sequences from all other Brazilian species that are available in the GenBank plataform, using the sequence of RAG2 nuclear gene.