Maneless zebra

Maneless zebra
Maneless zebras at Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Genus: Equus
Species:
E. quagga
Subspecies:
E. q. borensis
Trinomial name
Equus quagga borensis
Lönnberg, 1921

The half-maned or maneless zebra (Equus quagga borensis) is a subspecies of the plains zebra characterized by a tufty or absent mane in adult males, but otherwise resembling the Grant’s zebra. It is the northernmost subspecies of the plains zebra, ranging from northwestern Kenya (from Uasin Gishu and Lake Baringo) to the Karamoja district of Uganda. It is also found in eastern South Sudan, east of the White Nile (for example, in Boma National Park). The last remaining substantial population is in Kidepo Valley National Park.

Taxonomy

Maneless zebra (Equus quagga borensis) in Liberec Zoo

The maneless zebra was first described in 1921 by the Swedish zoologist Einar Lönnberg. He gave it the name Equus borensis based on a type specimen collected near the town of Bor, South Sudan. Later the maneless zebras have been described by several others. Also in 1954 by Tony Henley, then a ranger in the Game Department of the Protectorate of Uganda based in Moroto and in charge of Karamoja District. Recently, the animals in the Kidepo Valley National Park have been studied by the Kidepo Wildlife Foundation.

Research in 2006 conducted by J. Pluháček, L. Bartoš and J. Vichová, found that out of four plain zebra subspecies, the maneless zebra was the only subspecies that male infanticides were not found.

Testing of mitochondrial DNA in 2008 showed little genetic differentiation in plains zebra, despite the morphological differences described above.

References

  1. ↑ "Selous' Zebra[sic] Equus quagga borensis Lönnberg, 1921". biolib.cz.
  2. 1 2 Groves, Colin (2011). Ungulate Taxonomy. Peter Grubb. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-0329-8.
  3. ↑ Groves, Colin P.; Bell, Catherine H. (2004-03-28). "New investigations on the taxonomy of the zebras genus Equus, subgenus Hippotigris". Mammalian Biology. 69 (3): 182–196. doi:10.1078/1616-5047-00133.
  4. ↑ King, S.R.B.; Moehlman, P.D. (2016). "Equus quagga". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41013A45172424. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41013A45172424.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Lönnberg, Einar (1921). "Equus borensis". Fauna och Flora, Uppsala. 16: 175–181.
  6. ↑ Zoological Society of London (1965). Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. London: Zoological Society of London by Academic Press.[vague]
  7. ↑ Kinloch, Bruce (1972). The Shamba raiders: memories of a game warden. London: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-261751-2.
  8. ↑ Pluháček, Jan; Bartoš, Luděk; Víchová, Jitka (2006). "Variation in Incidence of Male Infanticide within Subspecies of Plains Zebra (Equus burchelli)". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (1): 35–40. doi:10.1644/05-MAMM-A-126R2.1. ISSN 0022-2372. S2CID 84362182.
  9. ↑ Lorenzen, Eline D.; Arctander, Peter; Siegismund, Hans R. (2008). "High variation and very low differentiation in wide ranging plains zebra (Equus quagga): insights from mtDNA and microsatellites". Molecular Ecology. 17 (12): 2812–2824. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03781.x. ISSN 0962-1083.

Further reading