Criminals hunting in Yunnan province have become unwitting assistants to scientists isolating genetic material from seized pangolin scales. The animals were identified as Manis mysteria: a recorded, extant but unknown “mystical” species, hence the name.
The scientists sequenced 98 genomes from 138 genomes isolated from the scales. The genomes appeared to belong to all eight extant pangolin species, distributed across three genera of the family Manidae.
Therefore, the new species was classified as cryptic; It is difficult to distinguish it from its relatives due to its high similarity, but two new mitochondrial haplotypes identified for the first time clearly revealed that it is the ninth species of pangolin. These genetic patterns differ significantly from the closely related species Philippine (Manis culionensis) and Malayan (Manis javanica) pangolins. A reconstruction of the species’ evolution showed that their most recent common ancestor lived about five million years ago.
According to scientists, their discovery will make it possible not only to meet a new species of pangolin, but also to save entire species from extinction: they are hunted for their meat, which is a delicacy in Asia, and their scales are supposedly unique healing properties.
Source: Ferra
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