The Phylogenetic Relationship of the Muskox and Takin Based on High Resolution, G-Banded, Chromosome Analysis
Paper presented at The First Arctic Ungulate Conference, Nuuk, Greenland, 3-8 September, 1991. Expanded abstract The phylogenetic relationship of the muskox and takin based on high resolution, G-banded, chromosome analysis M. Pasitschniak-Arts1, P. F. Flood2, S. M. Schmutz3, S. Tedesco2 and B. Seidel4 1 Department of Biology, 2 Department of Veterinary Anatomy, and 3 Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 0W0. 4 Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde, Am Tierpark 125, D-1136 Berlin, Germany Key words: muskox, takin, chromosomes, G-banded karyotypes Rangifer, 12 (3) 203-205 Muskoxen, Ovibos moschatus, currently inhabit The relationship of the muskox to other parts of the Canadian mainland tundra, nume• members in the Bovidae is somewhat unclear. rous Arctic islands, regions of Alaska, Norway, Many related genera of bovids adapted to cold• Sweden, northern and eastern Greenland, and er climates are now extinct, leaving only the the Taymyr Peninsula (Lent, 1988). The takin, muskox and takin (Jia-Yan, 1989; Lent, 1988; Budorcas taxicolor, is an Asian species presently Neas and Hoffman, 1987). Despite the apparent found in mountainous areas of west central close relatedness of the two species, banded ka• China, Burma, Bhutan and India Qia-Yan, 1989; ryotypes of the muskox and takin have yet to Neas and Hoffman, 1987). Both species appear be compared. to have originated from a common ancestor in In the Bovidae, individual autosome pairs can• Asia and exhibit morphological similarities. not be reliably distinguished using conventional Muskoxen apparently dispersed from north cen• staining (Lin et aL, 1977), but they have been tral Asia to North America during the Illinoian identified using G-banding (Wang and Federoff, glaciation Qia-Yan, 1989).
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