Data from: Two species of Southeast Asian cats in the genus Catopuma with diverging histories: an island endemic forest specialist and a widespread habitat generalist

Background. The bay cat Catopuma badia is endemic to Borneo, whereas its sister species the Asian golden cat Catopuma temminckii is distributed from the Himalayas and southern China through Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. Based on morphological data, up to five subspecies of the Asian golden cat have been recognized, but a taxonomic assessment, including molecular data and morphological characters, is still lacking. Results. We combined molecular data (whole mitochondrial genomes), morphological data (pelage) and species distribution projections (up to the Late Pleistocene) to infer how environmental changes may have influenced the distribution of these sister species over the past 120 000 years. The molecular analysis was based on sequenced mitogenomes of 3 bay cats and 40 Asian golden cats derived mainly from archival samples. Our molecular data suggested a time of split between the two species approximately 3.16 Ma and revealed very low nucleotide diversity within the Asian golden cat population, which supports recent expansion of the population. Discussion. The low nucleotide diversity suggested a population bottleneck in the Asian golden cat, possibly caused by the eruption of the Toba volcano in Northern Sumatra (approx. 74 kya), followed by a continuous population expansion in the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene. Species distribution projections, the reconstruction of the demographic history, a genetic isolation-by-distance pattern and a gradual variation of pelage pattern support the hypothesis of a post-Toba population expansion of the Asian golden cat from south China/Indochina to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. Our findings reject the current classification of five subspecies for the Asian golden cat, but instead support either a monotypic species or one comprising two subspecies: (i) the Sunda golden cat, distributed south of the Isthmus of Kra: C. t. temminckii and (ii) Indochinese, Indian, Himalayan and Chinese golden cats, occurring north of the Isthmus: C. t. moormensis.

研究背景：婆罗洲金猫（Catopuma badia）为婆罗洲特有物种，其姊妹物种亚洲金猫（Catopuma temminckii）的分布范围涵盖喜马拉雅山脉、中国南部，经中南半岛、马来半岛延伸至苏门答腊。基于形态学数据，亚洲金猫曾被划分为至多5个亚种，但目前仍缺乏整合分子数据与形态特征的分类学评估。
研究结果：本研究整合分子数据（全线粒体基因组）、形态学数据（被毛形态）以及物种分布预测模型（追溯至晚更新世），旨在解析过去12万年以来环境变化对这对姊妹物种种群分布的影响。分子分析基于3只婆罗洲金猫与40只亚洲金猫的测序线粒体基因组，样本主要取自档案馆藏材料。分子数据显示，两个物种的分化时间约为316万年前，且亚洲金猫种群内核苷酸多样性极低，这一结果支持其种群近期发生过扩张。
讨论：极低的核苷酸多样性提示亚洲金猫曾经历种群瓶颈事件，该事件大概率由苏门答腊北部多巴火山约7.4万年前的喷发所引发，随后在晚更新世/全新世早期种群持续扩张。物种分布预测、种群历史重建、距离隔离的遗传模式，以及被毛形态的渐变分布特征，均支持亚洲金猫在多巴火山喷发后，从中国南部/中南半岛向马来半岛与苏门答腊进行种群扩张的假说。本研究结果不支持当前将亚洲金猫划分为5个亚种的分类体系，反而支持将其归为单型种，或划分为两个亚种：（1）克拉地峡以南的巽他金猫：C. t. temminckii；（2）克拉地峡以北的印支、印度、喜马拉雅与中国金猫：C. t. moormensis。