Establishing the foundation for an applied molecular taxonomy of otters in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Four species of otters (Mustelidae, Lutrinae) occur in Southeast Asia and are considered to be of conservation concern: Aonyx cinerea (Asian small-clawed otter), Lutra lutra (Eurasian otter), Lutra sumatrana (Hairy-nosed otter), and Lutrogale perspicillata (Smoothcoated otter). Among these, L. sumatrana is endemic to the region, yet little is known about its biology, and the precise distribution of all four species in Southeast Asia is not well known. Furthermore, the taxonomy and systematics of L. sumatrana and L. perspicillata have been the subject of controversy, which has implications for the legal protection and for conservation programs of these taxa. To resolve these controversies, we used a multigene data set comprised of segments from 13 nuclear and 5 mitochondrial loci (11,180 nucleotides) to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of Asian Old World otters. Phylogenies were also estimated using two mitochondrial loci (1,832 nucleotides) obtained from two or more individuals of the four Southeast Asian species. The results from maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (showed that L. sumatrana and L. lutra are sister taxa, whereas L. perspicillata is sister to A. cinerea. Furthermore, the results from the two-mitochondrial gene analyses indicate that L. sumatrana is reciprocally monophyletic with respect to L. lutra, supporting the specific validity of the former taxon. Signs such as tracks and feces are often used in field surveys to provide information on the distribution and abundance of otters, but the accuracy of these methods may be compromised when several closely related species occur sympatrically. Therefore, the two-gene data set was used to develop a provisional set of diagnostic nucleotides that can be potentially used to identify the four species of Southeast Asian otters from noninvasively collected biological samples, such as feces.

Evolutionary and biogeographic history of weasel-like carnivorans (Musteloidea)

“…(As, Eu, NA) (Af, As, Eu, NA) (As) (As) (As) (NA) (As) (As) (As) (NA) (As, Eu) (As) (NA) (Af, As) (As, Eu) (As) (NA) (NA) (As) (NA) ; f Koepfli and Wayne (1998); g ; h ; i Koepfli et al (2008a); j Hosoda et al (2000); k ; l Koepfli et al (2008b); m ; n Kurose et al (2000); o ; p Árnason et al (2006); q Yu et al (2007). The download of these sequences from the databases was completed on November 7, 2009.…”

Identification of Two Tentative Strains of European Subspecies of the Eurasian River Otter <i>Lutra lutra lutra </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) from the Partial Mitochondrial Cytochrome <i>b</i> Gene

“…It might therefore be useful for the management of L. lutra pedigrees EF689068 (Fernandes, et al, 2008) X94923 (Ledje and Arnason, 1996) AJ536010 (Marmi, et al, 2004) AF057124 (Koepfli, et al, 1998) A-line (present study) Asahikawa (Suzuki, et al,1996) Latvia (Suzuki, et al,1996) FJ236015(Jang and Hwang, 2008) B-line (present study) Europe (Suzuki, et al,1996) China (Suzuki, et al,1996) EF472347 (L. sumatrana, Koepfli, et al, 2008) Aonyx cinerea (Suzuki, et al,1996) Determination and comparison of complete sequence of cytochrome b genes might be more effective. But the assessment of the fragmentation patterns by using the RFLP method described here would be an easier technique than sequencing, and more suitable for on-site screening.…”

“…In addition, A-line cyb had 100% identity to a number of complete nucleotide sequences of European L. lutra lutra cytochrome b gene, such as X94923 [11], EF689068 [12], AJ536010 [13], and AF057124 [14]. In contrast, among these latter sequences no sequence identical to B-line cyb was found; B-line cyb had 99% identity to L. lutra (FJ236015; Jang and Hwang, 2008, direct submission from Korea) and 95% to L. sumatrana (EF472347) [15]. Our pseudo cyb sequence had 100% identity to a pseudogene from the above-mentioned L. lutra individual killed in Asahikawa in 1989 [6].…”

“…Although L. lutra is the most widely distributed otter species and up to 11 subspecies have been reported, details of the genetic relationships are still being examined [11][12][13][14][15] …”

A new otter of giant size,Siamogale melilutrasp. nov. (Lutrinae: Mustelidae: Carnivora), from the latest Miocene Shuitangba site in north-eastern Yunnan, south-western China, and a total-evidence phylogeny of lutrines

“…Most recent molecular phylogenies of mustelids also place the lutrines near the terminal end of the mustelid tree, but as the sister clade of the genus Mustela (Koepfli & Wayne 1998;Sato et al 2003Sato et al , 2009J. J. Flynn et al 2005;Koepfli et al 2008a), as the sister clade of Ictonychinae (Dragoo & Honeycutt 1997;Koepfli & Wayne 2003;Wolsan & Sato 2010;Sato et al 2012), or as both (Koepfli et al 2008b). If the molecular relationship is correct, then the dental similarities between badgers and otters must be the result of convergences.…”