A phylogroup of the Siberian chipmunk from Korea (Tamias sibiricus barberi) revealed from the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene.
In the full sequences of the mtDNA cytochrome b gene, 26 haplotypes (Tamias sibiricus barberi) from six localities of central and southern Korea were distinct from 21 haplotypes (Tamias sibiricus orientalis) from five localities of northeast China and Vladivostok, Russia. The average Tamura-Nei nucleotide distance between the subspecies (11.40%) and maximum infrasubspecific distances (3.74% and 4.72%) support the subspecies classification of T. s. barberi based on morphometric comparison. The 26 haplotypes of T. s. barberi were also distinct from 2 haplotypes of T. s. orientalis and Tamias sibiricus jacutensis from far-east Russia (average distance, 11.86%). Thus T. s. barberi constitutes a "phylogroup" (average nucleotide distance > 10%); analyses with nuclear genes of northeast Asian specimens, including North Korean ones, are necessary to clarify its taxonomic status. Furthermore, 49 haplotypes of T. sibiricus from eastern Asia differed from 19 haplotypes of another 18 Tamias spp. from America (weighted-average distance, 18.58%). T. sibiricus is, therefore, distinct enough to be recognized as a subgenus, Eutamias.
Koh
Hung Sun
HS
Department of Biology, Chungbuk University, Cheongju, 361-763, Korea. syskoss@chungbuk.ac.kr
Wang
Jinxing
J
Lee
Bae Kun
BK
Yang
Byong Guk
BG
Heo
Seon Wook
SW
Jang
Kyung Hee
KH
Chun
Tae Yong
TY
D000818:Animals; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial; D010802:Phylogeny; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D045303:Cytochromes b