Abstract
In order to assess hybridization of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) from an introduced population with native Japanese macaques (M. fuscata) in the Bousou Peninsula, we examined nine individuals for diagnostic genetic markers of blood proteins (adenosine deaminase and NADH-dependent diaphorase), TSPY (testis-specific protein, Y-encoded) gene and mitochondrial DNA. Two hybrid individuals were confirmed in an introduced group of rhesus macaques inhabiting the southernmost area of the peninsula. Close examination of genotypes revealed that one of the hybrids resulted from crossbreeding in the group for more than one generation. An adult male hybrid was also captured at Sugeno, Ichihara, located in the central hilly zone of the peninsula. Judging from the mtDNA profile, his natal group was not a rhesus but Japanese macaque group. These results suggest reciprocal hybridization between rhesus and Japanese macaques in the peninsula.
