Mitogenomic phylogeny of the Asian colobine genus <i>Trachypithecus</i> with special focus on <i>Trachypithecus phayrei</i> (Blyth, 1847) and description of a new species

<i>Trachypithecus</i>, which currently contains 20 species divided into four groups, is the most speciose and geographically dispersed genus among Asian colobines. Despite several morphological and molecular studies, however, its evolutionary history and phylogeography remain poorly understood. Phayre’s langur (<i>Trachypithecus phayrei</i>) is one of the most widespread members of the genus, but details on its actual distribution and intraspecific taxonomy are limited and controversial. Thus, to elucidate the evolutionary history of <i>Trachypithecus</i> and to clarify the intraspecific taxonomy and distribution of <i>T. phayrei</i>, we sequenced 41 mitochondrial genomes from georeferenced fecal samples and museum specimens, including two holotypes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a robustly supported phylogeny of <i>Trachypithecus</i>, suggesting that the <i>T. pileatus</i> group branched first, followed by the <i>T. francoisi</i> group,…