Y-DNA haplogroup K-M9 is an old lineage that arose approximately 47,000-50,000 years ago. Geneticist
Spencer Wells had argued that because haplogroup K has a geographically wide distribution, the lineage probably originated near the central part of this range in the
Middle East or
Central Asia, possibly in Iran or Pakistan.
Basal K* is exceptionally rare and under-researched; while it has been reported at very low frequencies on many continents it is not always clear if the examples concerned have been screened for subclades. Confirmed examples of K-M9* now appear to be most common amongst some populations in
Island South East Asia and
Melanesia; it is also found in 2% of
Italians, with frequencies reaching 8% among the
Ladin people. K-M9* was also found in one individual from the
Spanish province of Castellón with the surname Ferrer, and is common among the
Bnei Menashe, a community of
Indian Jews who claim descent from one of the
Lost Tribes of Israel. Primary descendants of haplogroup LT are
L (M20), also known as K1a, and
T (M184), also known as K1b. the subclades of which include the major haplogroups
N and
O, and; •
K2b – the ancestor of haplogroups
M,
P,
Q,
R,
S. == Structure ==