Phylogeography of the White-tailed Mongoose (Herpestidae, Carnivora, Mammalia) - a phylogenetic study based on partial mtDNA of the control region (D-loop)

• The phylogeography of the white-tailed mongoose Ichneumia albicauda is examinedusing phylogenetic analyses based on partial sequences of the mitochondrialcontrol region. The phylogeny is used to: (1) Analyse the phylogeographic patternof I. albicauda; (2) discuss the existing delimitation of subspecies; (3) test if thecoloration of the tail tip, generally white but occasionally black in West Africanspecimens, is a species polymorphism or if it has phylogenetic significance. Ourresults suggest a north–south division within white-tailed mongoose populations,and within the northern clade, we observe an east–west subdivision. Thisphylogenetic pattern is partly in concordance with the traditional division into sixsubspecies. The white-tailed mongoose probably originated in southern Africa,from where it dispersed northwards and colonized eastern and western parts ofAfrica, as well as the Arabian Peninsula. Colour polymorphism observed inWestern populations reflects variation at the individual level.

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NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

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Biology

Biologi

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