>>Looking at the weighted MP tree of Utiger et al. (fig. 3), New World Elaphe and other Lampropeltine species such as Lampropeltis ruthveni and Pituophis melanoleucus are nested deeply within Old World Elaphe. Some of the Old World Elaphe species (e.g. E. longissima, E. taeniurus, E. situla, E. mandarina) are basal to New World Elaphe and the group containing E. carinata, E. climacophora, E. sauromates and E. quatuorlineata. This tree contradicts the assumption that Old World Elaphe and New World Elaphe form a polyphyletic group. It shows that Elaphe is in fact paraphyletic. The ideological intolerance of paraphyly among Hennigian taxonomists is the real reason for their attempt to splinter Elaphe. The oft-repeated proclamation that Elaphe is an artificial or polyphyletic group is in reality a red herring.



Paraphyletic groups ARE artificial: you are taking a radiaiton of animals and artificialy and subjectively pruning off a few more differentiated taxa 'cos you don't like'em there.



Nature produces paraphyletic groups no more than a real (botanical) tree produces branches with twigs lopped off.



Cheers,



Wolfgang
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