Kenya indigenous goat breeds (Capra hircus) have not been accurately described. Therefore, there is threat of erosion of unique genotypes such as those associated with adaptability and disease resistance, through indiscriminate crossbreeding. The Kenyan goats classification based on phenotype/morphology identifies three breeds: Small East African (SEA) goats, the Galla goat and crosses of SEA and the Galla. In the present study, we sampled goats from two main geographic regions of Kenya with pastoralist communities, the Maasai and Somali/Boran. DNA was extracted from whole blood and polymerase chain reaction amplified using primers flanking a fragment of Cytocrome-b and D-loop regions of mitochondria DNA. The sequences derived were analysed both within Kenya goat populations and also compared with phylogeographic-related datasets. These data show that the majority of Kenyan indigenous goats are not distinct and their genetic structure is very diverse; however, distinct haplogroups were present. Genetic diversity showed weak positive in Tajima D test for Kenyan indigenous goats, while the Iberian/Mediterranean/Middle-East dataset had a more pronounced negative value indicating that the two populations are under different selection pressure. These analyses enabled phylogenetic relationships between and within species and the comparisons of local goats to related breeds geographically. The information can be applied management of conservation-guided breeding programmes by crossing the indigenous breed's unique genes with high productivity traits from another source.

An overview is given of our present knowledge on taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of catfishes or Siluroidei, one of the worlds economically important groups of fresh and brackish water fishes. In an introductory chapter, the taxonomic position of catfishes in the ichthyological classification is discussed; their external morphology is briefly described and synapomorphies showing their monophyly are listed. In the following chapter, cattish systematics are presented. Thirty three families with 416 genera and 2 584 species are presently recognized, but these numbers are continuously changing; it is therefore obvious that the systematics of many taxa are still rather poorly known. For each family, data (if any) supporting their monophyly are given together with a short description of their external morphology. The valid genera are listed, with for each genus, the number of presently recognized species with a reference (if any) to a recent revisionary study. Contributions to the phylogenetic study of catfishes are scarce, and dealing only with a few families and with a limited number of taxa within the families. As a resultsonly few data on catfish phylogeny are presently known. Therefore, also our knowledge on historicalbiogeography of catfishes is seriously limited, until more date become available on interfamilial and intergeneric relationships.

Identification and taxonomy of the genus Leishmania is considered in brief, drawing on existing review articles. A fully-referenced synopsis of clinical, epidemiological, biological, immunological and biochemical criteria and methods used for typing leishmanial parasites is given and discussed. Classical and modern approaches are compared. Leishmanial phylogeny, the value of numerical taxonomy and the possibility of sexual recombination in leishmanial organisms are also considered.