TY  - JOUR
A1  - Patel, Riddhi P.
A1  - Wutke, Saskia
A1  - Lenz, Dorina
A1  - Mukherjee, Shomita
A1  - Ramakrishnan, Uma
A1  - Veron, Geraldine
A1  - Fickel, Jörns
A1  - Wilting, Andreas
A1  - Förster, Daniel W.
T1  - Genetic Structure and Phylogeography of the Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) Inferred from Mitochondrial Genomes
JF  - Journal of Heredity
N2  - The Leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is a habitat generalist that is widely distributed across Southeast Asia. Based on morphological traits, this species has been subdivided into 12 subspecies. Thus far, there have been few molecular studies investigating intraspecific variation, and those had been limited in geographic scope. For this reason, we aimed to study the genetic structure and evolutionary history of this species across its very large distribution range in Asia. We employed both PCR-based (short mtDNA fragments, 94 samples) and high throughput sequencing based methods (whole mitochondrial genomes, 52 samples) on archival, noninvasively collected and fresh samples to investigate the distribution of intraspecific genetic variation. Our comprehensive sampling coupled with the improved resolution of a mitochondrial genome analyses provided strong support for a deep split between Mainland and Sundaic Leopard cats. Although we identified multiple haplogroups within the species’ distribution, we found no matrilineal evidence for the distinction of 12 subspecies. In the context of Leopard cat biogeography, we cautiously recommend a revision of the Prionailurus bengalensis subspecific taxonomy: namely, a reduction to 4 subspecies (2 mainland and 2 Sundaic forms).
KW  - habitat generalist
KW  - hybrid capture
KW  - Leopard cat
KW  - mitogenome
KW  - mtDNA
KW  - Southeast Asia
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esx017
SN  - 0022-1503
SN  - 1465-7333
VL  - 108
IS  - 4
SP  - 349
EP  - 360
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Cary
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Patel, Riddhi P.
A1  - Förster, Daniel W.
A1  - Kitchener, Andrew C.
A1  - Rayan, Mark D.
A1  - Mohamed, Shariff W.
A1  - Werner, Laura
A1  - Lenz, Dorina
A1  - Pfestorf, Hans
A1  - Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie
A1  - Radchuk, Viktoriia
A1  - Fickel, Jörns
A1  - Wilting, Andreas
T1  - Two species of Southeast Asian cats in the genus Catopuma with diverging histories: an island endemic forest specialist and a widespread habitat generalist
JF  - Royal Society Open Science
N2  - Background. The bay cat Catopuma badia is endemic to Borneo, whereas its sister species the Asian golden cat Catopuma temminckii is distributed from the Himalayas and southern China through Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. Based onmorphological data, up to five subspecies of the Asian golden cat have been recognized, but a taxonomic assessment, including molecular data and morphological characters, is still lacking. Results. We combined molecular data (whole mitochondrial genomes), morphological data (pelage) and species distribution projections (up to the Late Pleistocene) to infer how environmental changes may have influenced the distribution of these sister species over the past 120 000 years. The molecular analysis was based on sequenced mitogenomes of 3 bay cats and 40 Asian golden cats derived mainly from archival samples. Our molecular data suggested a time of split between the two species approximately 3.16 Ma and revealed very low nucleotide diversity within the Asian golden cat population, which supports recent expansion of the population. Discussion. The low nucleotide diversity suggested a population bottleneck in the Asian golden cat, possibly caused by the eruption of the Toba volcano in Northern Sumatra (approx. 74 kya), followed by a continuous population expansion in the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene. Species distribution projections, the reconstruction of the demographic history, a genetic isolation-by-distance pattern and a gradual variation of pelage pattern support the hypothesis of a post-Toba population expansion of the Asian golden cat from south China/Indochina to PeninsularMalaysia and Sumatra. Our findings reject the current classification of five subspecies for the Asian golden cat, but instead support either a monotypic species or one comprising two subspecies: (i) the Sunda golden cat, distributed south of the Isthmus of Kra: C. t. temminckii and (ii) Indochinese, Indian, Himalayan and Chinese golden cats, occurring north of the Isthmus: C. t. moormensis.
KW  - Felidae
KW  - Southeast Asia
KW  - last glacial maximum
KW  - Toba volcanic eruption
KW  - hybrid capture
KW  - next generation sequencing
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160350
SN  - 2054-5703
VL  - 3
SP  - 741
EP  - 752
PB  - Royal Society
CY  - London
ER  -