A Phylogeny of Chinese Leaf Monkeys Using Mitochondrial ND3-ND4 Gene Sequences |
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Authors: | Wen Wang Michael R J Forstner Ya-ping Zhang Zi-min Liu Yu Wei Hua-qiang Huang Hong-guang Hu You-xin Xie Deng-hu Wu Don J Melnick |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, P.R. China;(2) Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027;(3) The Wildlife and Nature Reserves Managing Station of Guangxi Department of Forestry, Nanning, Guangxi Province, 530022, P.R. China;(4) Rare and Endangered Animal Protection Station of Fusui County, Fusui, Guangxi Province, 532100, P.R. China;(5) Chongqing Zoo, Chongqing, Sichuan Province, 630223, P.R. China;(6) Department of Anthropology and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027 |
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Abstract: | The phylogeny of Chinese leaf monkeys, especially the snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus), has not been thoroughly investigated using molecular sequence data, perhaps due to their rarity in the wild and their poor representation in institutional collections. Despite several proposed classifications, systematic relationships of these species remain poorly defined and this has hindered their conservation. To clarify the phylogenetic relationships of the leaf monkey clade in China, we sequenced the mitochondrial ND3, ND4L, ND4, tRNA
Arg
, tRNA
His
, tRNA
Ser
, and tRNA
Leu
genes for Rhinopithecus bieti, R. roxellana, Trachypithecus francoisi, T. f. leucocephalus, and T. phayrei as well as Pygathrix nemaeus and Colobus guereza. We included a total of 2252 characters for each individual, excluding gaps in primary sequences. Our interpretation of the results from character-and distance-based phylogenetic analyses suggest that (1) Pygathrix nemaeus is sister to Rhinopithecus rather than to Trachypithecus though it is quite divergent from the former; (2) the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus bieti, represents a valid species; (3) the white-headed leaf monkey is not a distinct species, but instead is a subspecies of Trachypithecus francoisi (T. f. leucocephalus), though it should still be considered a separate evolutionary significant unit (ESU); and (4) because two individuals of the Phayrei's leaf monkey, T. phayrei, are genetically distinct from one another, a more extensive revision of the taxonomy of this putative species in China is needed. These results, plus ongoing work on the molecular systematics of the entire Asian leaf monkey radiation, can provide a sound basis for identifying the appropriate units of conservation for this endangered group of primates. |
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Keywords: | Chinese leaf monkeys phylogeny mtDNA sequences |
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