Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 22, 2025

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Multilocus phylogeny suggests a distinct species status for the Nepal population of Assam macaques ( Macaca
Laxman Khanal1,2, Mukesh Kumar Chalise1,3, Peng-Fei Fan4
1Central Department of Zoology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal.
Abstract:
Phylogenetic relationships within the sinica-group of macaques based on morphological, behavioral, and molecular characteristics have remained controversial. The Nepal population of Assam macaques ( Macaca assamensis) (NPAM), the westernmost population of the species, is morphologically distinct but has never been used in phylogenetic analyses. Here, the phylogenetic relationship of NPAM with other congeners was tested using multiple mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal loci. The divergence times and evolutionary genetic distances among macaques were also estimated. Results revealed two major mitochondrial DNA clades of macaques under the sinica-group: the first clade included M. thibetana, M. sinica, and eastern subspecies of Assam macaque ( M. assamensis assamensis); the second clade included M. radiata together with species from the eastern and central Himalaya, namely, M. leucogenys, M. munzala, and NPAM. Among the second-clade species, NPAM was the first to diverge from the other members of the clade around 1.9 million years ago. Our results revealed that NPAM is phylogenetically distinct from the eastern Assam macaques and closer to other species and hence may represent a separate species. Because of its phylogenetic distinctiveness, isolated distribution, and small population size, the Nepal population of sinica-group macaques warrants detailed taxonomic revision and high conservation priority.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
Phylogeny
The Evidence for Evolution

