Mitochondrial DNAs provide insight into trypanosome phylogeny and molecular evolution.

"to date species trees the molecular clock was calibrated using tip isolation dates (additional file 8 : data s1).; clock rates calculated alone for the t brucei pan-african clade and t congolense savannah have similar (median t brucei 2 35 x 10 -7 s/s/y t congolense 1 15 x 10 -6 s/s/y) but significantly faster (kruskal-wallis one-way anova on ranks h > 80 p < 0 001) rates compared to the species as a whole (additional file 9 : data s2).; additional file 8: data s1.; additional file 9: data s2."

"Competing interests No competing interests to declare."

"Funding This study was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council project Grant BB/R016437/1. T.A.W. is supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship."