Early Pleistocene origin and extensive intra-species diversity of the extinct cave lion.

ABSTRACT: The cave lion is an extinct felid that was widespread across the Holarctic throughout the Late Pleistocene. Its closest extant relative is the lion (Panthera leo), but the timing of the divergence between these two taxa, as well as their taxonomic ranking are contentious. In this study we analyse 31 mitochondrial genome sequences from cave lion individuals that, through a combination of ¹⁴C and genetic tip dating, are estimated to be from dates extending well into the mid-Pleistocene. We identified two deeply diverged and well-supported reciprocally monophyletic mitogenome clades in the cave lion, and an additional third distinct lineage represented by a single individual. One of these clades was restricted to Beringia while the other was prevalent across western Eurasia. These

SUBMITTER: Stanton DWG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7387438 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature