Historical biogeography and phylogeny of monachine seals (Pinnipedia: Phocidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data

The Pinnipedia includes marine carnivores that share a single common evolutionary origin within arctoid carnivores 25–27 Ma in the North Pacific (Berta & Adam, 2001). Three major groups of pinnipeds are recognized: the Phocidae (true seals), the Otariidae (fur seals and sea lions) and the Odobenidae (walruses). Phocid seals, the focus of this study, are typically divided into two subfamilies that reflect previously hypothesized phylogenetic groupings and present distribution. The Phocinae (northern seals) includes 10 species that inhabit the Arctic and sub-Arctic, whereas the Monachinae (southern seals) consists of three geographically widespread groups (Lobodontini, Mirounga and Monachus). The Lobodontini (Antarctic seals) are restricted to the Antarctic region, primarily in a circumpolar distribution and includes four species: Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu Laboratory, Honolulu, HI, USA, Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain and MOm Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, Athens, Greece