The introduction of species outside their natural range is one of the major threats to biodiversity and has often been identified as a menace to agricultural production and human health. The raccoon is recognized as a globally invasive species. However, several populations in the Caribbean were long considered native and endemic species. Although previous genetic studies have shown that raccoons from the islands of the West Indies belong to the northern raccoon Procyon lotor, the history and origin of these introductions remain poorly known. In this study, we investigated the geographical origin of Caribbean raccoon populations using newly available molecular genetic data. We used haplotype network analyses of two mitochondrial markers, Cytochrome b and Control Region, with new sequences and those from GenBank. We also specifically investigated the origin of the endangered endemic Cozumel raccoon, Procyon pygmaeus, by re‐analyzing data. Our results confirmed that all Caribbean raccoon populations belong to the northern raccoon. Bahamian populations originated from two different sources in Florida, and the Lesser Antilles raccoons seem to originate from northern regions of the native range. In addition, our results question the taxonomic status of the Cozumel raccoon, as currently available genetic data support a conspecific status with the northern raccoon. These results have important implications in the context of conservation and ecosystem management. Identifying origins of introduced populations and understanding the history of their introductions will facilitate studies on the impact of the raccoon on insular ecosystems.

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关于加勒比浣熊地理起源的新见解

在其自然范围之外引进物种是对生物多样性的主要威胁之一，通常被认为对农业生产和人类健康构成威胁。浣熊被认为是一种全球入侵物种。但是，加勒比地区的一些种群长期以来被认为是本土和特有物种。尽管以前的遗传研究表明，来自西印度群岛的浣熊属于北部浣熊Procyon lotor，但是这些引种的历史和起源仍然鲜为人知。在这项研究中，我们使用新近获得的分子遗传数据调查了加勒比浣熊种群的地理起源。我们使用了两个线粒体标记，细胞色素b和控制区的单倍型网络分析，以及来自GenBank的新序列。我们还专门研究了濒临灭绝的地方性科苏梅尔浣熊，Procyon pygmaeus的起源，通过重新分析数据。我们的结果证实，所有加勒比浣熊种群都属于北部浣熊。巴哈马种群起源于佛罗里达州的两个不同来源，小安的列斯群岛的浣熊似乎起源于本地山脉的北部地区。此外，我们的研究结果质疑了科苏梅尔浣熊的分类学地位，因为目前可获得的遗传数据支持北部浣熊具有特定的地位。这些结果在保护和生态系统管理方面具有重要意义。确定引入种群的起源并了解其引入的历史，将有助于研究浣熊对岛屿生态系统的影响。