EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE LIBIAN JIRD, MERIONES LIBYCUS (RODENTIA: GERBILLINAE) BASED ON GENETIC DATA

Abstract

The libyian Jird, Meriones libycus, is one of the most widespread species of Rodents and distributed in Africa and Asia, namely, Western Sahara, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, south of Tunisia, Libya, an isolated distribution in Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and in central Asia through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and S Kazakhstan to W China. 15 subspecies were described within this species which were described based on skull features and coat colors. The taxonomy of these subspecies is under considerable discussion. The validity of them and the phylogenetic relationships among them are uncertain in all its distribution range and until now few molecular DNA studies have ever been conducted on them. To evaluate the phylogeographical history and taxonomy of this species in Iran, we used genetic analysis (Cytb and Cox1 genes sequences of 76 and 19 specimens, respectively). Our data highlight the existence of only three lineages in all parts of its distribution. The first one is scattered in the North of Africa, the second one is in the Arabian Peninsula and Levant and the third one is distributed from the east in Iranian Plateau to Far East in China. The genetic structure observed, seems to fit the topography and biogeography of the sea barriers, the Tigris and Euphrates, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. All intraspecific divergent events within the Persian Jird occurred during the last 1.2 My.