Equus ovodovi

[surroundx]

Original description:

Eisenmann, Véra and Sergej Vasiliev. (2011). Unexpected finding of a new Equus species (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) belonging to a supposedly extinct subgenus in late Pleistocene deposits of Khakassia (southwestern Siberia). Geodiversitas 33(3): 519-530.

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Plasteeva, Natalya A., Vasiliev, Sergey K. and Kosintsev, Pavel A. (2015). Equus (Sussemionus) ovodovi Eisenmann et Vasiliev, 2011 from the Late Pleistocene of Western Siberia. Russian Journal of Theriology 14(2): 187-200.

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Yuan J-X, Hou X-D, Barlow A, Preick M, Taron UH, Alberti F, et al. (2019). Molecular identification of late and terminal Pleistocene Equus ovodovi from northeastern China. PLoS ONE 14(5): e0216883.

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Plasteeva, Natalya A., Vasiliev, Sergey K., Klementiev, A. M. and Kosintsev, Pavel A. (2022). Morphological Differentiation of Equids (Equus ovodovi, Equus hemionus) and Their Distribution Ranges in Western Siberia in the Late Pleistocene. Biology Bulletin 48: S197-S207. doi.org/10.1134/S1062359021140132

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Radiocarbon and genomic evidence for the survival of Equus Sussemionus until the late Holocene

The exceptionally-rich fossil record available for the equid family has provided textbook examples of macroevolutionary changes. Horses, asses and zebras represent three extant subgenera of Equus lineage, while the Sussemionus subgenus is another remarkable Equus lineage ranging from North America to Ethiopia in the Pleistocene. We sequenced 26 archaeological specimens from northern China in the Holocene that could be assigned morphologically and genetically to Equus ovodovi, a species representative of Sussemionus. We present the first high-quality complete genome of the Sussemionus lineage, which was sequenced to 13.4× depth-of-coverage. Radiocarbon dating demonstrates that this lineage survived until ~3,500 years ago, despite continued demographic collapse during the Last Glacial Maximum and the great human expansion in East Asia. We also confirmed the Equus phylogenetic tree, and found that Sussemionus diverged from the ancestor of non-caballine equids ~2.3-2.7 Million years ago and possibly remained affected by secondary gene flow post-divergence. We found that the small genetic diversity, rather than enhanced inbreeding, limited the species' chances of survival. Our work adds to the growing literature illustrating how ancient DNA can inform on extinction dynamics and the long-term resilience of species surviving in cryptic population pockets.

doi.org/10.7554/eLife.73346