Protein and nucleic acid sequences of woolly mammoth cytochrome b and the phylogenetic postition of Mammuthus within the Elephantidae)

The phylogenetic position of Mammuthus has remained under debate. Previously published DNA sequences did not provide clear evidence, neither for an association to the African, nor to the Asian elephantid clade. A 335 bp sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome b, which was found identical in three individuals of Mammuthus primigenius, had a large number of derived bases as well as four synapomorphic amino acids in common with Elephas maximus. It is concluded that Elephas and Mammuthus may comprise a monophyletic group.