Resolving the phylogenetic status and taxonomic relationships of the Hangul (Cervus elaphus hanglu) in the family Cervidae

Abstract

The Hangul (Cervus elaphus hanglu) is a “Least Concern” deer species, and it is the only survivor of the Red Deer group in the Indian subcontinent. The phylogenetic status of the Hangul relative to the other members of the family Cervidae is not known because sequence data are not available in public databases. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the phylogenetic status and delineate the genetic boundaries of the Hangul with respect to the other Red Deer subspecies on the basis of cytochrome b gene sequence data (ca 421 bp). There are three major monophyletic groups of the Red Deer in the phylogenetic tree, which are referred to as the western (Hap-01 to Hap-10), eastern (Hap-11 to Hap-20) and tarim (Hap-21 to Hap-25) groups. The overall haplotype diversity and per-site nucleotide diversity were 0.9771 (±0.0523) and 0.0388 (±0.00261), respectively. In the phylogenetic tree, the Hangul clustered with the tarim group (Yarkand and Bactrian Red Deer) with a strong bootstrap support (92%) and was found to be genetically closer to the Bactrian Red Deer than to the Yarkand Red Deer. Our molecular analysis supported the idea that the Hangul diverged from the Bactrian Red Deer and migrated to India from Tajikistan approximately 1.2 MYA.

Keywords:

• Cytochrome b gene
• Hangul
• Immigration
• mtDNA
• phylogenetic tree

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Director, Dean and Research Coordinator, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, for their strong support and facilitation. Authors sincerely thank the Forest Department of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Wildlife Warden, officials and field staff for providing the samples. The authors acknowledge the support provided by the Nodal Officer and all the researchers and staff of the Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetic Cell of the Wildlife Institute of India for carrying out this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interest. The authors have no funding or support to report.

Ethical statement

Ethical approval was not required for this study because all samples were noninvasively collected. Samples consisted of pneumatic hairs, which Hangul like other cervidae species often shed during the onset of spring that act as an insulator by protecting them from severe cold during winters.