Molecular phylogeny of the Iranian Plateau five-toed jerboa, Allactaga (Dipodidea: Rodentia), inferred from mtDNA

Author:
, , , , , , ,
Year
: 2013
Abstract: The five-toed jerboas of the genus Allactaga

inhabit arid areas of Asia and North Africa and are widely

distributed in deserts, semideserts, and steppe regions

of Iran. Many morphological and morphometric studies

have been carried out on this genus; however, there is

little molecular data available on them. Therefore, their

phylogenetic relationships need to be evaluated. Here,

using sequences of 903 and 632 bp of two mitochondrial

DNA genes, cytochrome b ( Cytb ) and cytochrome oxidase

subunit I ( Cox1 ), the phylogenetic relationships of five

nominal species of Allactaga were evaluated from the

Iranian Plateau. Phylogenetic trees were constructed on

the basis of maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood,

and Bayesian analyses. The resulting trees supported

seven major clades: (1) Allactaga firouzi and A. hotsoni , (2)

A. williamsi , (3) A. euphratica , (4) A. elater from Esfahan

and Tehran, (5) A. toussi , (6) A. elater from Golestan, and

(7) A. elater from Kashmar and Golestan. On the basis of the

results of current study, A. firouzi and A. hotsoni are synonymized,

while A. elater could be considered a complex

species with three subclades. In addition, the geographic

distribution analysis of the species was clarified and as a

result, A. euphratica is a new record for the Ilam region.
Keyword(s): Allactaga,C ox1,C ytb,phylogeny
Collections :
  • Show Full MetaData
  • Statistics