Editing Cottontail rabbit (section)

== Evolution ==
Cottontails are one of several species of ''Sylvilagus''.  Their closest relative is ''[[Brachylagus]]'', the pygmy rabbit. They are more distantly related to the [[European rabbit|European]] and other rabbits, and more distantly still to the [[Lepus|hares]]. The [[cladogram]] is based on [[nuclear gene|nuclear]] and [[mitochondrial gene]] analysis.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ruedas |first1=Luis A. |last2=Marques Silva |first2=Sofia |display-authors=et al |title=Taxonomy of the ''Sylvilagus brasiliensis'' complex in Central and South America (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=October 2019 |volume=100 |issue=5 |pages=1599–1630 |doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyz126|s2cid=202855918 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kraatz |first1=Brian P. |display-authors=et al |title=Ecological correlates to cranial morphology in Leporids (Mammalia, Lagomorpha) |journal=PeerJ |date=2015 |volume=3 |pages=e844 |doi=10.7717/peerj.844 |pmid=25802812 |pmc=4369340 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Iraçabal-2024">{{Cite journal |last1=Iraçabal |first1=Leandro |last2=Barbosa |first2=Matheus R. |last3=Selvatti |first3=Alexandre Pedro |last4=Russo |first4=Claudia Augusta de Moraes |date=2024 |title=Molecular time estimates for the Lagomorpha diversification |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=19 |issue=9 |pages=e0307380 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0307380 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=11379240 |pmid=39241029}}</ref> 

{{clade
|label1='''Cottontails'''
|1={{clade
   |1={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                     |1=''[[Sylvilagus audubonii]]''
                     |2=''[[Sylvilagus nuttallii]]''
                     }}
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Sylvilagus aquaticus]]''
                     |2=''[[Sylvilagus palustris]]''
                     }}
                  }}
               |2={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                     |1=''[[Sylvilagus transitionalis]]''
                     |2=''[[Sylvilagus obscurus]]''
                     }}
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Sylvilagus floridanus]]''   
                     |2=''[[Sylvilagus robustus]]''
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Sylvilagus brasiliensis]]''
               |2=''[[Sylvilagus dicei]]''
               }}
            }}
         }}
      |2={{clade
           |1=''[[Sylvilagus bachmani]]''
           |2=''[[Sylvilagus mansuetus]]''
           }}
     }}
|2=''[[Sylvilagus andinus]]''
  }}
}}