Roos, C. & Geissmann, T. (2001). Molecular phylogeny of the major hylobatid divisions. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 19: 486-494.

Molecular phylogeny of the major hylobatid divisions

Christian Roos¹ & Thomas Geissmann^2
1 AG Primatengenetik, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
² Institut für Zoologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany

Key words: Evolution; Hylobates; Bunopithecus; Symphalangus; Nomascus; genetics; DNA; mitochondrial control region

Abstract: We describe DNA sequences for the mitochondrial control region and Phenylalanin-tRNA from the four extant gibbon subgenera. In contrast to earlier studies on gibbon phylogeny using other parts of the mtDNA, the control region depicts the crested gibbons (Nomascus) as the most basal group of the Hylobatidae, followed by Symphalangus, with Bunopithecus and Hylobates as the last to diverge. Our data show that the molecular distances between the four gibbon subgenera are in the same range as those between Homo and Pan, or even higher. As a consequence of these findings, we propose to raise all four gibbon subgenera to genus rank.