Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Spotted Forest Musk Deer (Moschus berezovskii) from Huanglong Mountain, Shaanxi, China, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Moschidae

Phylogenetic analysis confirms that the spotted forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) from Huanglong Mountain, Shaanxi, China, belongs to the forest musk deer species, resolving long-standing taxonomic uncertainty. The study sequenced and assembled complete mitochondrial genomes of two individuals, revealing an average length of 16,355 base pairs with 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. By incorporating all available Moschidae mitogenomes into a robust phylogenetic framework, the research clarifies evolutionary relationships within the family and supports the monophyly of M. berezovskii. This work provides critical molecular evidence to distinguish between morphologically similar musk deer species and advances understanding of their genetic diversity.

Sun, K., Tan, X., Zhang, L., Dai, Y., Bian, K., Li, F., Suo, L., Du, X., Yang, C., & Tang, J. (2025). Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Spotted Forest Musk Deer (Moschus berezovskii) from Huanglong Mountain, Shaanxi, China, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Moschidae. Biology, 14(12), 1794. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14121794