The high genetic homology of three M. fascicularis and two M. mulatta subspecies on the basis of their highly repeated DNA restriction patterns.

We have studied highly repeated DNA sequences of three subspecies of M. fascicularis (M.f. philippinensis, M.f. mordax, M.f. fusca) and of two subspecies of M. mulatta (M.m. lasiotus, M.m. mulatta). Restriction patterns were obtained after digestion with 9 restriction endonucleases and evidenced after southern blotting and hybridization with Bam HI satellite DNA fragments from M. fascicularis subspecies. M. fascicularis and M. mulatta subspecies studied, present morphological differences but indistinguishable karyotypes: highly repeated DNA analysis, resulting in the same restriction patterns for all the restriction sites studied with highly repeated DNA probes characteristic of the three M. fascicularis subspecies, gave arguments in favour of the high genetic homology of M.f. philippinensis, M.f. mordax, M.f. fusca on one side, and M.m. lasiotus and M.m. mulatta on the other, which can be distinguished only on the basis of morphological criteria.