Phylogenetic position of the extinct blue antelope, Hippotragus leucophaeus (Pallas, 1766) (Bovidae: Hippotraginae), based on complete mitochondrial genomes

2017/05/11 by Gonçalo Espregueira Themudo, Paula F. Campos · 11 citations
Social Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Genetic diversity and population structure #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Biology #Bovidae #Sister group #Zoology #Clade #Phylogenetic tree #Ecology

paper · doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx034

published in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 182(1), 225-235 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2017/05/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22

Abstract

The blue buck or blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) is an extinct antelope endemic to coastal South Africa. With a much wider distribution in the Pleistocene, it was already in decline before European settlement in the region (c. 400 years ago), and it went extinct in the late 18th century. Due to the short time span between its formal description and the time it went extinct, not much is known about its biology or behaviour, and its phylogenetic placement is still inconclusive. Here we sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of the blue buck from a museum-preserved horn. The data generated in this study allowed the placement of the blue buck as sister species to the sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), with a divergence time of 2.8 Myr. The roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is sister taxon to this clade, contradicting some earlier findings.

Citations

• Evolution of the Mitochondrial Genome in Mammals Living at High Altitude: New Insights from a Study of the Tribe Caprini (Bovidae, Antilopinae)
• The conditioned reconstructed process
• A multi-calibrated mitochondrial phylogeny of extant Bovidae (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia) and the importance of the fossil record to systematics
• Upper Palaeolithic Siberian genome reveals dual ancestry of Native Americans
• A Simple, Fast, and Accurate Algorithm to Estimate Large Phylogenies by Maximum Likelihood
• Pattern and timing of diversification of Cetartiodactyla (Mammalia, Laurasiatheria), as revealed by a comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial genomes

Cited by

• Identifying the true number of specimens of the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus)
• Bluebuck [wikipedia]

Related

• Blue Turns to Gray: Paleogenomic Insights into the Evolutionary History and Extinction of the Blue Antelope ( Hippotragus leucophaeus )
• Identifying the true number of specimens of the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus)
• Assessing the identity of rare historical museum specimens of the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) using an ancient DNA approach
• Evolutionary history of the roan antelope across its African range
• Fossil evidence for seasonal calving and migration of extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) in southern Africa