Phylogenetic study of extirpated Korean leopard using mitochondrial DNA from an old skin specimen in South Korea.

ABSTRACT: The leopard, Panthera pardus, is a threatened species in its range throughout the world. Although, historically, the Korean Peninsula had a high population density of leopards, they were extirpated from South Korea by 1970, leaving almost no genetic specimens. Traditionally, Korean leopards are classified as Panthera pardus orientalis; however, their classification is based only on locality and morphology. Therefore, there is a need for genetic studies to identify the phylogenetic status of Korean leopards at the subspecies level. Presently, no extant wild specimen is available from South Korea; therefore, we extracted genetic material from the old skin of a leopard captured in Jirisan, South Korea in the 1930s and conducted the first phylogenetic study of the South Korean le

SUBMITTER: Hyun JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7227655 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature