Mitochondrial DNA variation and geographic population structure in the yellow mongoose (Cynictic penicillata)

Abstract

Geographic population structure was determined for Cynictis penicillata, a carnivore species endemic to southern Africa. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were analyzed for 50 specimens from 21 localities. The 18 restriction endonucleases used in this analysis revealed 13 haplotypes. Low sequence divergence values separate most of these maternal lineages. With the exception of two haplotypes (E and F) which are distributed over a broad geographic range, most lineages are geographically localized. It is postulated that this is the result of a recent population bottleneck followed by a rapid range expansion. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of a 600 bp fragment from the 5' end of the Cynictis mitochondrial DNA control region revealed the presence of a length polymorphism. Direct nucleotide sequencing of five yellow mongoose specimens revealed the length polymorphism to be due to a direct repeat of 81 bp in the larger fragment.