Coat color is not an indicator of subspecies identity in Colombian woolly monkeys

Abstract

Woolly monkeys are severely threatened, and disagreement on their taxonomie status complicates conservation strategies. Two subspecies of woolly monkeys inhabit Colombia, but the genetics of their populations have not been studied. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, we set out to estímate the level of gene flow between populations, and to corroborate their taxonomic position. We found two separate evolving units with limited levels of gene flow. However, their separation does not correlate with the existing subspecies distinction, which is based on pelage color. We, therefore, propose a genetic differentiation of the woolly monkey taxa and emphasize the importance of the detected inconsistency in subspecies differentiation based on coat color.