Article ID: 2302
Cervus nippon mageshimae Kuroda and Okada (mage shika in Japanese) is a subspecies of C. nippon described based on its morphology. Although recent genetic studies indicate the genetic uniqueness of C. n. mageshimae, its description in the 2014 Red Data Book suggests that its distribution and taxonomic position as a subspecies need to be clarified. In this study, we re-evaluated the validity of C. n. mageshimae with genetic data collected in previous studies. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed distinct sequence differences in mitochondrial DNA between C. n. mageshimae and both C. n. nippon on Kyushu and C. n. yakushimae from Yaku-shima and Kuchinoerabu-jima Islands. Previous analyses of nuclear and Y-chromosome DNA have also identified differences in allele frequencies between the Tanegashima and Yaku-shima Island populations. In addition, previous morphological studies demonstrated morphological differences between these islands. Overall, these findings suggest the presence of genetically distinct populations on Mage-shima and Tanegashima Islands that can be recognised as conservation units.
