DNA-led rediscovery of the giant sable antelope in Angola

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• 作者：Christian Pitra ; Pedro VazPinto ; Brendan W. J. O¡¯Keeffe ; Sandi Willows-Munro ; Bettine Jansen van Vuuren and Terry J. Robinson
• 关键词：Hippotragus niger variani ; Giant sable antelope ; Dung mitochondrial DNA ; Species identification
• 刊名：European Journal of Wildlife Research
• 出版年：2006
• 出版时间：August 2006
• 年：2006
• 卷：52
• 期：3
• 页码：145-152
• 全文大小：238 KB

文摘

The giant sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani), unique to Angola, was feared extinct after almost three decades of civil war. Comparisons of mitochondrial DNA sequences derived from dung samples recently collected in the field and from old museum specimens of certain provenance provide the first documented evidence to date that this enigmatic antelope has survived. Its DNA-led rediscovery in the former combat zone was subsequently confirmed by photographic evidence. The Angolan isolate constitutes a distinct monophyletic group that shows a dramatic population decline from historic levels. It represents a diagnosable conservation unit which is characterised by unique cranial morphological features (Blaine 1922 1922:317–339), a highly restricted range, and the presence of fixed genetic differences in all of its common relatives.