New Guinea singing dogs (NGSD) are identifiable by their namesake vocalizations, which are unlike any other canid population. Their novel behaviors and potential singular origin during dog domestication make them an attractive, but elusive, subject for evolutionary and conservation study. Although once plentiful on the island of New Guinea (NG), they were presumed to currently exist only in captivity. This conclusion was based on the lack of sightings in the lowlands of the island and the concurrent expansion of European- and Asian-derived dogs. We have analyzed the first nuclear genomes from a canid population discovered during a recent expedition to the highlands of NG. The extreme altitude (>4,000 m) of the highland wild dogs’ (HWD) observed range and confirmed vocalizations indicate their potential to be a wild NGSD population. Comparison of single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes shows strong similarity between HWD and the homogeneous captive NGSD, with the HWD showing significantly higher genetic diversity. Admixture analyses and estimation of shared haplotypes with phylogenetically diverse populations also indicates the HWD is a novel population within the distinct evolutionary lineage of Oceanic canids. Taken together, these data indicate the HWD possesses a distinct potential to aid in the conservation of NGSD both in the wild and under human care.

新几内亚歌唱犬 (NGSD) 可以通过它们的同名发声来识别，这与任何其他犬科动物不同。它们在狗驯化过程中的新颖行为和潜在的单一起源使它们成为进化和保护研究的一个有吸引力但难以捉摸的主题。尽管曾经在新几内亚岛 (NG) 上大量存在，但据推测它们目前仅在人工饲养中存在。这一结论是基于该岛低地缺乏目击事件以及欧洲和亚洲衍生犬的同时扩张。我们分析了最近一次到 NG 高地的探险中发现的犬科动物种群的第一个核基因组。高原野狗 (HWD) 的极端海拔高度 (>4,000 m) 的观测范围和确认的发声表明它们有可能成为野生 NGSD 种群。单核苷酸多态性基因型的比较表明，HWD 和同质圈养 NGSD 之间具有很强的相似性，HWD 显示出显着更高的遗传多样性。对具有系统发育多样性种群的共享单倍型的混合分析和估计也表明 HWD 是大洋犬科动物不同进化谱系中的一个新种群。综上所述，这些数据表明 HWD 具有帮助保护野生和人类护理下的 NGSD 的独特潜力。对具有系统发育多样性种群的共享单倍型的混合分析和估计也表明 HWD 是大洋犬科动物不同进化谱系中的一个新种群。综上所述，这些数据表明 HWD 具有帮助保护野生和人类护理下的 NGSD 的独特潜力。对具有系统发育多样性种群的共享单倍型的混合分析和估计也表明 HWD 是大洋犬科动物不同进化谱系中的一个新种群。综上所述，这些数据表明 HWD 具有帮助保护野生和人类护理下的 NGSD 的独特潜力。