Complete mitochondrial genome of the Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar) and its phylogenetic status within the genus Capricornis

Publication date: April 2016 Source:Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, Volume 65 Author(s): Hailong Dou, Yansong Zhang, Limin Feng The genus Capricornis (Caprinae, Bovidae) includes six species, i.e., Capriconis sumatraensis, Capricornis swinhoei, Capricornis crispus, Capricornis rubidus, Capricornis milneedwardsii and Capricornis thar. Based on morphological, anatomical and physiological evidence, the Himalayan serow (C. thar), which is distributed in the mountain regions of the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas, is generally classified as a species of the genus Capricornis. However, considering the lack of molecular phylogenetic evidence, a heated controversy still exists over the taxonomic position of the Himalayan serow. To determine the phylogenetic status of C. thar, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of one Himalayan serow using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Then, we constructed a molecular phylogenetic tree of the genus Capricornis and its related species in the Caprinae subfamily based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian interference methods. The results reflect that the structural characteristics, nucleotide content and codon usage bias of the mitochondrial genome of the Himalayan serow were similar to those of other serows. A phylogenetic analysis using two rRNA genes and 12 encoded protein-coding genes indicated that C. thar is clustered within the C. milneedwardsii clade, which is a sister group of C. sumatraensis....

Source: Biochemical Systematics and Ecology - February 23, 2016 Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research