No evidence for mitochondrial genetic variability in the largest population of critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys in Vietnam.
The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) with a global population of <250 is listed as critically endangered. It is endemic to northeastern Vietnam and was feared extinct until its rediscovery in 1989. The largest single population of R. avunculus consists of 125-130 individuals in an area of forest called Khau Ca in Ha Giang Province. We used non-invasively collected fecal samples to establish the amount of genetic diversity in this population based on mitochondrial information. We amplified and sequenced a 467- to 650-bp section of the hypervariable region I (HVI) of the mitochondrial D-loop for 201 samples and reconstructed the full mitochondrial genomes for five samples based on metagenomic data. All 201 HVI sequences were identical and no variability was found in the five mitochondrial genomes. Our results highlight the immediate need for a comprehensive assessment of the genetic diversity of all populations of R. avunculus based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers. The latter need to be developed for this species.
Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, 1350 Pleasant Street, Boulder, 80309, CO, USA. andie.ang@colorado.edu.
Andie
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5667-3106
A
Ang
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
Amrita
A
Srivathsan
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
Rudolf
R
Meier
, 3 Lane 4 Dang Van Ngu Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Tuong Bach
TB
Luu
, 8 Bis Lane 784 Bach Dang Road, Ha Ba Trung District, Hanoi, 113619, Vietnam.
Quyet Khac
QK
Le
Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, 1350 Pleasant Street, Boulder, 80309, CO, USA.|Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 1 Mac Dinh Chi, District 1, Ben Nghe, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Herbert
H
Covert
D000818:Animals; D016673:Colobinae / Q000235:genetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D014644:Genetic Variation; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D014744:Vietnam
Colobine; Conservation; D-loop; Hypervariable region I; Mitochondria