Post by Melanie on Dec 28, 2023 20:38:10 GMT
The question is whether the Caspian Tiger represents an own subspecies.
Driscoll et al. state in 2009:
We found that Caspian tigers carry a major mtDNA haplotype differing by only a single nucleotide from the monomorphic haplotype found across all contemporary Amur tigers (P. t. altaica). Phylogeographic analysis with extant tiger subspecies suggests that less than 10,000 years ago the Caspian/Amur tiger ancestor colonized Central Asia via the Gansu Corridor (Silk Road) from eastern China then subsequently traversed Siberia eastward to establish the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East.
Mitochondrial Phylogeography Illuminates the Origin of the Extinct Caspian Tiger and Its Relationship to the Amur Tiger
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004125
In younger books (e.g. All the Mammals of the World by Lynx Edicions, 2023) the Caspian Tiger is no more regarded as valid subspecies).
Driscoll et al. state in 2009:
We found that Caspian tigers carry a major mtDNA haplotype differing by only a single nucleotide from the monomorphic haplotype found across all contemporary Amur tigers (P. t. altaica). Phylogeographic analysis with extant tiger subspecies suggests that less than 10,000 years ago the Caspian/Amur tiger ancestor colonized Central Asia via the Gansu Corridor (Silk Road) from eastern China then subsequently traversed Siberia eastward to establish the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East.
Mitochondrial Phylogeography Illuminates the Origin of the Extinct Caspian Tiger and Its Relationship to the Amur Tiger
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004125
In younger books (e.g. All the Mammals of the World by Lynx Edicions, 2023) the Caspian Tiger is no more regarded as valid subspecies).