Molecular phylogeny of the major hylobatid divisions

We describe DNA sequences for the mitochondrial control region and phenylal anine-tRNA from the four extant gibbon subgenera. In contrast to earlier st udies on gibbon phylogeny that used other parts of the mtDNA, the control r egion depicts the crested gibbons (Nomascus) as the most basal group of the Hylobatidae, followed by Symphalangus, with Bunopithecus and Hylobates as the last to diverge. Our data show that the molecular distances among the f our gibbon subgenera are in the same range as those between Home and Pan, o r even higher. As a consequence of these findings, we propose to raise all four gibbon subgenera to genus rank. (C) 2001 Academic Press.