Boehms occur in Niassa as well, @diamonhitch quite correct that according to current lit....the two mountain species are listed separately, once again though, biologists have created confusion, by creating subspecies on morphological differences alone...... This is an old non scientific tendency which hopefully we will be rid of one day.
Groves and Bell devided plains zebra into six subspecies, based on coat patterns, skull metrics, and the presence or absence of a mane and of the infundibulum on the lower incisors (intergrades are observed).
All morphological traits and or differences.
A recent genetic study analyzed 17 Plains Zebra populations, representing five of the six subspecies recognized by these authors.
The study found very little differentiation among populations.
In fact, populations across the entire species distribution range were less differentiated than Namibian populations of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra.
The five sampled Plains Zebra subspecies, which included the extinct Quagga, could not be distinguished with the genetic markers used and no genetic structuring was found indicative of distinct taxonomic units.
The molecular data represented a genetic cline and was differentiated along an east-to-south gradient in agreement with the progressive increase in body size and reduction in stripes towards the south.
This is consistent with the overlapping morphological parameters and geographical distribution of subspecies reported in literature.
Hence, the subspecies splits based on the morphological cline may be arbitrary, but are useful from a management perspective.
The same as was attempted with EC kudu but luckily it was not accepted,
I suspect that the subspecies and current listing, will come under peer review in the not to distant future and that it will be stream lined.
Regardless of the biological blunders of old, I must be honest I love hunting donkeys they're keen sense of smell, brilliant eye sight, and speed at which they move make them a challenging quarry to Perdue on foot.
My best always
raying:
