Kipungi Hybridization Revisited

Recently, two simultaneous studies came to the conclusion that the close relationship of Rungwecebus kipungi to Papio (based on mitochondrial DNA) suggest a hybrid history for the genus/species. Burell et al. 2009 suggest that the kipungi was the result of hybridization between male mangabeys (probably Lophocebus) and female baboons. Zinner et al. 2009, on the other hand, suggest the possibility that the kipungi is a basal member of the Papio clade and fairly recently (until 0.35 million years ago) male kipungis were breeding with female baboons. In this study, Roberts and colleagues include DNA from a separate population of kipungis and find that only one population shows signs of hybridization, suggesting that the originally sampled population did, in fact, hybridize as Zinner and colleagues suggested. However, the newly sampled population shows no signs of hybridization, suggesting that the origins of kipungis were not results of mangabey/baboon hybridization.