Authors : Naw May Lay Thant, Baek-Jun Kim , Hyeon-Seo Ko , Khin Mar Yi and Woo-Shin Lee
Abstract: Phayre’s leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei) is an endangered endemic species distributed predominantly in Southeast Asia. Although, three subspecies (T. p. phayrei, T. p. crepusculus and T. p. shanicus) are known, molecular phylogenetic studies on this monkey are still limited. In Myanmar, there was a controversy for the species identity of Phayre’s leaf monkey inhabiting the Popa Mountain Park (PMP). Here, 32 non-invasive fecal samples and one non-destructive bone sample were used to infer the phylogenetic status of T. phayrei from PMP. Two DNA markers, nuclear Protamine P1 (Prm1) and mitochondrial Cytochrome b (Cyt-b) were selected for PCR and sequencing. Three haplotypes for Cyt-b gene and two unique sequences for Prm1 gene were detected from 33 samples. The Cyt-b phylogenetic trees showed that the population of Phayre’s leaf monkey in PMP is more closely related to the subspecies T. p. shanicus. However, the Prm1 phylogenetic trees could not resolve the phylogenetic position of T. phayrei subspecies. The results suggest the population from PMP as the subspecies T. p. shanicus but further taxonomic studies for all populations of this threatened monkey in Myanmar should be recommended for the species’ conservation and management.
Naw May Lay Thant, Baek-Jun Kim , Hyeon-Seo Ko , Khin Mar Yi and Woo-Shin Lee, 2013. Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Non-Invasive Samples for the Endangered Phayre’s Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei) in Popa Mountain Park, Central Myanmar. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 12: 625-632.