Phylogenetic position of the extinct blue antelope, Hippotragus leucophaeus (Pallas, 1766) (Bovidae: Hippotraginae), based on complete mitochondrial genomes

The blue buck or blue antelope ( Hippotragus leucophaeus) is an extinct antelope endemic to coastal South Africa. With a much wider distribution in the Pleistocene, it was already in decline before European settlement in the region ( c. 400 years ago), and it went extinct in the late 18th century. Due to the short time span between its formal description and the time it went extinct, not much is known about its biology or behaviour, and its phylogenetic placement is still inconclusive. Here we sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of the blue buck from a museum- preserved horn. The data generated in this study allowed the placement of the blue buck as sister species to the sable antelope ( Hippotragus niger), with a divergence time of 2.8 Myr. The roan antelope ( Hippotragus equinus) is sister taxon to this clade, contradicting some earlier findings.