Abstract
Wolves in the Himalayan region form a monophyletic lineage distinct from the present-day Holarctic grey wolf Canis lupus spp. (Linnaeus 1758) found across Eurasia and North America. Here, we analyse phylogenetic relationships and the geographic distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of the contemporary Himalayan wolf (proposed in previous studies as Canis himalayensis) found in Central Asia. We combine genetic data from a living Himalayan wolf population collected in northwestern Nepal in this study with already published genetic data, and confirm the Himalayan wolf lineage based on mitochondrial genomic data (508 bp cytochrome b and 242 bp D-loop), and X- and Y-linked zinc-finger protein gene (ZFX and ZFY) sequences. We then compare the genetic profile of the Himalayan wolf lineage found in northwestern Nepal with canid reference sequences from around the globe with maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogeny building methods to demonstrate that the Himalayan wolf forms a distinct monophyletic clade supported by posterior probabilities/bootstrap for D-loop of greater than 0.92/85 and cytochrome b greater than 0.99/93. The Himalayan wolf shows a unique Y-chromosome (ZFY) haplotype, and shares an X-chromosome haplotype (ZFX) with the newly postulated African wolf. Our results imply that the Himalayan wolf distribution range extends from the Himalayan range north across the Tibetan Plateau up to the Qinghai Lakes region in Qinghai Province in the People's Republic of China. Based on its phylogenetic distinction and its older age of divergence relative to the Holarctic grey wolf, the Himalayan wolf merits formal classification as a distinct taxon of special conservation concern.
Highlights
There are few studies on wolves in Central Asia and the taxonomic status of wolves in this region remains unresolved [1]
We found that the Himalayan wolf forms a distinct monophyletic clade to the Holarctic grey wolf, supported by both the D-loop mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the cytochrome b mtDNA phylogeny, similar to previous studies by Sharma et al [6] and Aggarwal et al [7]
We show the genetic distinctness between the Himalayan wolf and the Holarctic grey wolf based on 242 bp D-loop mtDNA and 508 bp cytochrome b mtDNA sequences
Summary
There are few studies on wolves in Central Asia and the taxonomic status of wolves in this region remains unresolved [1]. The available genetic evidence points towards the presence of two distinct wolf lineages in the region, the Mongolian grey wolf (Canis lupus chanco, Gray, 1863) and the Himalayan wolf (table 1) [6,7,8,11,12]. Chetri et al [13] have found support for the presence of the Himalayan wolf lineage in Nepal with four scat samples collected in the Annapurna Conservation Area and analysed at the mtDNA control region. The phylogeny, ecology and conservation status of the Himalayan wolf remains poorly understood [1], and proper recognition of it as a taxon is pending
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call