Phylogeography of the Scaled Quail in the American Southwest

We used sequences from the mitochondrial control region to examine the phylogeography and historical demography of the Scaled Quail and to determine whether the geographic distributions of mtDNA genealogy were concordant with the distribution of the subspecies. Overall, the Scaled Quail exhibited lower haplotype and nucleotide diversity than other quail species. The highest levels of haplotype diversity were found in 3 Texas counties: Dimmit, La Salle, and Hudspeth. The Scaled Quail exhibited no phylogeographic structure among its 16 haplotypes, and the patterns of genetic variation were not congruent with potential geographic barriers or current subspecies taxonomy. The geographic distribution of haplotypes and partitioning of molecular variation suggested slight genetic differentiation between the chestnut-bellied subspecies of Scaled Quail and the 3 western subspecies. The low levels of genetic diversity and the evidence of demographic expansion suggest that the Scaled Quail has undergone population and range expansion from a Pleistocene refugium. The greater genetic diversity within the Chestnut-bellied Quail may indicate the geographic location of the refugium.