2 Comments

  • 31 July 2015
    vdinets

    Here is a link to the full paper (be sure to look at supplementary info): http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(15)00787-3

    So, African golden jackals are a species different from Asian golden jackals. The African form is synonymous with the recently described African wolf (Canis lupus lupaster), and is now named C. anthus. Both golden jackals look identical, and might be sympatric in Egypt (I wonder if there’s any habitat separation, as the African form seems to be more desert-adapted). But the authors didn’t look at the possible contact zone.

    These data are based on nuclear DNA and contradict many recent results based on mtDNA, such as splitting off Indian wolves and the close relationship between Ethiopian wolf and coyote. Just another example showing that splitting species based on mtDNA is not a valid method and such splits should never be accepted.

    For me this means having to edit two already accepted papers 🙁

    • 2 August 2015
      morganchurchill

      oh yeah I have gotten that feeling…

      “Oh awesome a new paper on this subject I am interested in”

      realization sets in…

      “Oh crap I have to rewrite my discussion to includes points A and B and reinterpret in light of finding C”

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