Genetic distinctness of the Korean hare, Lepus coreanus (Mammalia, Lagomorpha), revealed by nuclear thyroglobulin gene and mtDNA control region sequences.

摘要

Introduction:The genus Lepus is very confusing taxonomically, with the number of recognized species varying from about a dozen to more than thirty, depending on the classification system (Flux and Angermann 1990). In eastern Asia near the Korean peninsula, five species of Lepus (the Chinese hare, L. sinensis; the Manchurian hare, L. mandshuricus; the arctic hare, L. timidus; the brown hare, L capensis; and the Japanese hare, L. brachyurus) have been described (Corbet 1978). The Korean hare, which is distributed across the entire Korean peninsula (type locality; Seoul, Korea), is now regarded as a distinct species, L. coreanus Thomas 1892 (Hoffmann and Smith 2005), but it was previously identified as a subspecies of L. sinensis (Corbet 1978; Woon 1967). Flux and Angermann (1990), however, stated that the Korean hare's taxonomic status and relationship with L. sinensis and L. mandshuricus required further investigation. The Korean hare has also been classified as a subspecies of L brachyurus (Kim and Kim 1974).