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Understanding the convoluted evolutionary history of the capped-golden langur lineage (Cercopithecidae: Colobinae)†

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Abstract

The phylogenetic position of the capped and golden langur (CG) lineage has been ambiguous owing to the discordance between phylogenies from multiple molecular markers. Previous molecular studies have hypothesised that this discordance likely arises from either a hybridization event that took place between the Indian genus Semnopithecus and the Southeast Asian genus Trachypithecus or from incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Distinguishing between hybridization and ILS is challenging and these processes can lead to serious difficulties in inferring phylogenies. In this study, we used genetic markers (nine nuclear and eight mitochondrial) in conjunction with coalescent based species tree approach and a test for hybridization using posterior predictive checking to better understand the evolutionary origin of the CG lineage. Both the concatenated nuclear as well as the mitochondrial dataset recovered congruent relationships where CG lineage was sister to Trachypithecus. However, nuclear species tree estimated using different multispecies coalescent methods suggested an opposite result, i.e. CG lineage was sister to Semnopithecus. Hybridization analysis strongly indicates gene flow between Semnopithecus and Trachypithecus that likely gave rise to the hybrid CG lineage. Further, the CG lineage is morphologically intermediate between Semnopithecus and Trachypithecus with respect to skull and body measurements. In light of the above evidences, we argue that the CG lineage needs to be elevated to a new genus of its own. Taxonomic and conservation implications of these results are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India for the funding to carry out this research. We also thank the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change for the funds that covered a part of fieldwork for this study. The forest department of Assam provided the permits to collect samples. We thank Guwahati zoo and its members for help during sample collection. Dr Senthil Kumar and Dr H. T. Lalremsanga from Mizoram University for providing samples from Tripura zoo and Mizoram zoo. Dr G. Umapathy from LaCONES, CCMB for help in sample collection from Hyderabad zoo. KA would like to thank Mr Rajani Deka and Mr Firoz Ahmed for support during field work. Aniruddha Datta-Roy, Aparna Lajmi, Ishan Agarwal and V. Deepak for comments on the manuscript. Bhavani from CES for help in accounting. We also thank anonymous reviewers for their comments.

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  1. Evolving-Phylo Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India

    Kunal Arekar, Abhijna Parigi & K. Praveen Karanth

  2. Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Abhijna Parigi

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  1. Kunal Arekar
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Correspondence to Kunal Arekar.

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Corresponding editor: T. N. C. Vidya

†This is one of the articles of collections on ‘Conservation Genetics’.

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Arekar, K., Parigi, A. & Karanth, K.P. Understanding the convoluted evolutionary history of the capped-golden langur lineage (Cercopithecidae: Colobinae)†. J Genet 100, 79 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12041-021-01329-8

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