Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Detwiler, Kate M.

Abstract

Cercopithecus mitis is a polytypic, pan-African guenon species with a complex evolutionary history. The Lomami River Blue Monkey, C. m. heymansi, occurs within the Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba (TL2) Conservation Landscape and exhibits high pelage variation. Previous studies have shown discordance between the mitochondrial and Ychromosome gene trees of C. m. heymansi. The objectives were to test the phylogenetic pattern found in the mtDNA tree using a larger sample size of C. m. heymansi, determine the genetic diversity of the population, and hypothesize methods of speciation. While many species within the C. mitis radiation depict paraphyly, I determined that C. m. heymansi forms highly supported monophyletic clades in both mtDNA and Ychromosome gene trees. These results suggest that C. m. heymansi is a distinct lineage within the C. mitis radiation. Future genomic analyses are important in resolving the evolutionary history of this population and discerning its taxonomic classification and conservation value.

Extent

69 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013609

Format

pdf

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