Comments: | Caprini includes Ammotragus, Capra, Hemitragus, Ovis, Oreamnos, Pseudois, and Rupicapra; Naemorhedini includes Capricornis and Naemorhedus; Ovibovini includes Budorcas and Ovibos; Pantholopini includes Pantholops. Placing of Pantholops in the Caprinae is supported by morphological and molecular studies (Gatesy et al., 1997; Gentry, 1992; Hassanin et al., 1998; Vrba and Schaller, 2000). It may be the sister taxon of all other Caprinae. Relationshiops in the rest of the Caprinae are problematical. Nadler et al. (1973) noted identity of karyotypes in Ammotragus and Ovis (O. aries arkar). From electrophoresis of proteins, Hartl et al. (1990) obtained the following tree: (Ovis) ((Rupicapra, Oreamnos) ((Hemitragus) (Ammotragus, Capra))). Hassanin et al. (1998) recognised three clades on the basis of their studies of cytochrome b sequences, namely (1) Capricornis, Naemorhedus, Ovibos; (2) Capra, Hemitragus, Pseudois; and (3) Budorcas, Ovis; with the positions of Ammotragus, Oreamnos and Rupicapra less certain; Ovibovini hence appeared to be polyphyletic. The tree based on behavior, glands, skull and postcrania (Vrba and Schaller, 2000) is of the following form: (Budorcas) ((Ovibos) ((Oreamnos) (Naemorhedus, Capricornis)))) ((Ovis) ((Pseudois) (Capra, Hemitragus))). Distribution reviewed by Shackleton (1997). |