Kitayama Haruka, Shirai Atsushi, Nemoto Kei, Tawa Yuko, Watanuki Koshiro, Hayakawa Takashi
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Omiya Park Zoo, Omiya, Saitama, Japan.
Primates. 2025 May 6. doi: 10.1007/s10329-025-01192-6.
Spider monkeys (Ateles sp.) are among the most endangered primates in tropical forests, ranging from Central to South America. The current consensus on their classification is split into 7 species. However, species identification of Ateles individuals is challenging because their intraspecific and interspecific morphological traits gradually change and diversify among species, especially in pelage color and patterning. This problem makes it challenging to perform conservation in both wild (in situ) and captive (ex situ) populations. Currently, there are approximately 150 captive spider monkeys in around 30 Japanese zoos, reflecting more than 120 years of generational changes. To understand the genetic structure of the Ateles population in Japan and promote its ex situ conservation, we performed a population genetic analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted from 127 individuals using their fresh hair follicles. We determined the nucleotide sequences of three mitochondrial DNA regions and the nucleotide lengths of nine nuclear microsatellite loci in all individuals. Our analysis revealed the maternal lineages of four species (A. chamek, A. fusciceps, A. geoffroyi, and A. hybridus) from mitochondrial DNA analysis, and we identified novel haplotypes not previously reported. By comparing the maternal lineages of each individual with zoos' breeding records, we discovered at least 29 hybrid individuals, comprising about 20% of the current Japanese population. The results of the nuclear microsatellite analysis confirmed the genetic structure of hybrid individuals and suggested the presence of additional hybrids that could not be identified based on maternal lineage analysis and zoos' breeding records alone. These findings can contribute to the more appropriate management of spider monkeys toward ex situ conservation.
蜘蛛猴（Ateles sp.）是热带森林中最濒危的灵长类动物之一，分布于从中美洲到南美洲的地区。目前关于它们分类的共识是分为7个物种。然而，对蜘蛛猴个体进行物种鉴定具有挑战性，因为它们种内和种间的形态特征在不同物种之间逐渐变化和多样化，尤其是在毛色和斑纹方面。这个问题使得在野生（原地）和圈养（迁地）种群中进行保护都具有挑战性。目前，日本约30家动物园中大约有150只圈养蜘蛛猴，反映了120多年的代际变化。为了了解日本蜘蛛猴种群的遗传结构并促进其迁地保护，我们进行了种群遗传分析。使用新鲜毛囊从127个个体中提取基因组DNA。我们测定了所有个体三个线粒体DNA区域的核苷酸序列和九个核微卫星位点的核苷酸长度。我们的分析通过线粒体DNA分析揭示了四个物种（黑掌蜘蛛猴、棕头蜘蛛猴、白额蜘蛛猴和杂交蜘蛛猴）的母系谱系，并且我们鉴定出了以前未报道过的新单倍型。通过将每个个体的母系谱系与动物园的繁殖记录进行比较，我们发现了至少29个杂交个体，约占当前日本种群的20%。核微卫星分析结果证实了杂交个体的遗传结构，并表明存在仅基于母系谱系分析和动物园繁殖记录无法鉴定的其他杂交个体。这些发现有助于对蜘蛛猴进行更适当的管理以促进迁地保护。
