81 



Thus, although this analysis into the effects of missing taxa cannot directly indicate the 

 robustness of a given solution, it did indicate results in common with several analyses that 

 could. As in the constraint analyses, the resistance of the monachine topology to changes 

 directed within the phocines again points to the greater stability of this subfamily. As well, 

 this analysis gives further cause to question the historically primitive role typically 

 assigned to Erignathus. 



"Unweighted" solution (Fig. 16) 

 A parsimony analysis employing identically weighted characters (regardless of the number 

 of character states) was also undertaken, yielding four equally most parsimonious solutions 

 of 1,253 steps each. The consensus solution (identical between strict and majority rule 

 algorithms) is presented in Fig. 16. 



The outgroup relations for this solution are identical with those of the overall solution; 

 however, large differences are indicated within the phocids. The most striking difference 



Monachus schauinslandi 

 Monachus tropicalis 

 Monachus monachus 

 Leptonychotes 

 Lobodon 

 Hydrurga 



Mirounga angustirostris 

 Mirounga leonina 

 Ommatophoca 

 Cystophora 

 Pusa caspica 

 Pusa hispida 

 Phoca vitulina 

 Phoca largha 

 Pusa sibirica 

 Histriophoca 

 Pagophilus 

 Halichoerus 

 Erignathus 

 Odobenus 

 Zalophus 

 Lutra 

 Enhydra 

 Mart es 

 Procyon 

 Ursus 

 Canis 



Fig. 16: Consensus solution (identical between strict and majority rule algorithms) of four cladograms 

 resulting from a parsimony analysis using identically weighted characters (length = 1,253 steps, CI 

 = 0.460, HI = 0.772, RI = 0.603, RC = 0.396). All nodes were found in 100% of the equally most 

 parsimonious solutions. 



