PARENTAGE ANALYSIS WITHIN A SEMI-FREE-RANGING GROUP OF BARBARY MACAQUES MACACA-SYLVANUS

This study of a group of semi-free-ranging Barbary macaques Macaca syl vanus aimed to determine paternity, to establish whether any individua l male achieved prominent mating success and to assess genetic variabi lity. Analyses involved electrophoresis of 15 blood protein systems an d multilocus DNA fingerprinting (isotopic and nonisotopic). Genetic va riability was low; only two blood protein systems were polymorphic. Al though all DNA-fingerprints were individual-specific, they showed a hi gh average band-sharing index value (0.67). Nevertheless, a combinatio n of all methods permitted inference of paternity in 11 out of 15 (73% ) cases tested. Several males from different age classes fathered infa nts.