GENETIC VARIATIONS WITHIN AND BETWEEN SPECIES OF ASIAN MACAQUES

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Abstract
Genetic variability within and between 13 populations of 7 spp. of the Asian macaques was quantified by electrophoretic examinations of blood proteins. Variations of 28-29 genetic loci controlling the structure of 26-27 kinds of enzymatic and non-enzymatic blood proteins were examined in a total number of 1404 samples. The proportion of polymorphic loci was 14 .apprx. 41% and the mean heterozygosity per individual was 1.9 .apprx. 10.8%, except in the Yaku Island population of the Japanese macaque (M. fuscata yakui), where genetic variation was completely lacking. The genetic variability in a breeding unit or troop of the taxa examined here would be lower than these values, since each sampled population was regarded to be a mixture of individuals from different origins. The genetic distances between different species were too small to be considered as real biological species. Recalling the fact that these species are completely interfertile and have the same chromosome constitution, a biologically more acceptable system of classification of the Asian macaques could be reconstructed by lowering the so-called genus to the rank of species and the so-called species to the rank of subspecies.