Is the Guadeloupean racoon (Procyon minor) really an endemic species? New insights from molecular and chromosomal analyses

The Guadeloupean racoon has been chosen as the emblematic species of the Pa re National de Guadeloupe because of its supposed endemic specificity. Howe ver, its taxonomic position is not clearly defined. At what period did this animal colonize Guadeloupe and how it reached the island remain unsolved q uestions. To clarify these points, insular and continental individuals (Pro cyon lotor,), coming from five localities and belonging to three subspecies , were compared using molecular (sequencing of a 294-bp of the left domain of the mtDNA control region) and chromosomal (C, G and R karyotypes) analys es. Genetic distance between the Guadeloupean racoon and lotor subspecies f rom Virginia and Maryland was very short (mean sequence divergence between haplotypes equals to 1.46%). A four times higher distance was found between P. l. lotor and P. l. pallidus, a continental subspecies inhabiting Arizon a than between P. l. lotor and Procyon minor. A neighbour-joining phenogram is proposed; the Guadeloupean haplotype is on a branch close to the one cl ustering P. l. lotor from the East coast whereas the haplotype from Arizona diverged earlier. These results strongly suggest that the Guadeloupean rac oon is included in the P. lotor species. Moreover, no differences were foun d between P. lotor and P. minor karyotypes, again suggesting a high genetic homogeneity between the two taxa. Furthermore, comparison of the control r egion variability within P,Procyon with intra- and interspecific variabilit y observed in other Carnivores, clearly strengthens the hypothesis that P, minor is conspecific with P. lotor. These results imply that the taxonomic status of the Guadeloupean racoon should be revised. In a biogeographic per spective, it is suggested that the racoon has been recently introduced in G uadeloupe by man with individuals coming from the east coast of the USA. Th e consequences of these results for conservation of the racoon in Guadeloup e, and more generally, the definition and the use of the subspecies as a un it of conservation are discussed.