The "Linh Duong" Pseudonovibos spiralis (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) is a new buffalo

The controversial phylogenetic position of the recently described South-Eas t Asian endemic bovid, Pseudonovibos spiralis, was evaluated on the basis o f phylogenetic analyses of originally obtained nearly complete 12S mitochon drial rDNA sequences for this species and Bubalus bubalis and 26 sequences of Bovidae from the Genbank using Cervus elaphus (Cervidae) as outgroup. In most of the phylogenetic analyses performed using PAUP 4.0 (maximum parsim ony, maximum likelihood and neighbour-joining), Bovidae consisted of two ma jor clades: Bovinae including the tribes Bovini, Tragelaphini and Boselaphi ni, and Antilopinae+Caprinae, incorporating all other bovids. In most trees P. spiralis fell within the buffalos (subtribe Bovina) between Bubalus and Syncerus. Therefore, our phylogenetic analyses of bovid mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequences suggest the close relationship of this enigmatic specie s with the buffalos and its placement within the subtribe Bovina.