MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETIC INFERENCE OF THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH MAMMUTHUS-PRIMIGENIUS, BASED ON COMPLETE SEQUENCES OF MITOCHONDRIAL CYTOCHROME-B AND12S RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENES

Complete sequences of cytochrome b (1,137 bases) and 12S ribosomal RNA (961 bases) genes in mitochondrial DNA were successfully determined f rom the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), African elephant (Loxo donta africana), and Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). From these sequ ence data, phylogenetic relationships among three genera were examined . Molecular phylogenetic trees reconstructed by the neighbor-joining a nd the maximum parsimony methods provided an identical topology both f or cytochrome b and 12S rRNA genes. These results support the ''Mammut hus-Loxodonta'' clade, which is contrary to some previous morphologica l reports that Mammuthus is more closely related to Elephas than to Lo xodonta.