Origin of the Sulawesi macaques (Cercopithecidae : Macaca) as suggested bymitochondrial DNA phylogeny

One of the sharpest biogeographical transitions in the world occurs between the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sulawesi; this transition is demarcat ed by Wallace's line. Macaque monkeys represent an interesting anomaly to f aunal distributions in this region as they occur on both sides of Wallace's line, with Macaca fascicularis, M. nemestrina and other species to the wes t and seven Sulawesi species to the east. We have investigated macaque evol ution and dispersal in the Sunda region and Sulawesi using phylogenetic ana lysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences. Female philopatry of macaques, which causes sharp geographic clustering of maternally inherited mitochondrial DN A haplotypes, makes mitochondrial phylogenies particularly useful for inves tigating ancient patterns of dispersal. Results of this study suggest the f ollowing: (1) M. fascicularis is not a sister taxon to any species of Sulaw esi macaque; (2) haplotypes of some M. nemestrina have a sister relationshi p to northern and central Sulawesi macaques, while haplotypes of other M. n emestrina have a sister relationship to southern Sulawesi macaques; (3) Sul awesi was probably colonized by macaques twice, once to the base of the nor thern peninsula now occupied by M. hecki and once to the southwestern penin sula now occupied by M. maura; and (4) within north/central and southern Su lawesi, patterns of dispersal are largely consistent with contemporary and past geography of the island, with the exception of a geographically discon tinuous relationship between M.. nigra and a portion of M. tonkeana from a region in northwest central Sulawesi. (C) 1999 The Linnean Society of Londo n.