Species delimitation and integrative taxonomy of the Reithrodontomys mexicanus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) cryptic complex.

ABSTRACT: Species boundaries are difficult to establish in groups with very similar morphology. As an alternative, it has been suggested to integrate multiple sources of data to clarify taxonomic problems in taxa where cryptic speciation processes have been reported. This is the case of the harvest mouse Reithrodontomys mexicanus, which has a problematic taxonomy history as it is considered a complex species. Here, we evaluate the cryptic diversity of R. mexicanus using an integrative taxonomy approach in order to detect candidate lineages at the species level. The molecular analysis used one mitochondrial (cytb) and two nuclear (Fgb-I7 and IRBP) genes. Species hypotheses were suggested based on three molecular delimitation methods (mPTP, bGMYC, and STACEY) and

SUBMITTER: Martinez-Borrego D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10387591 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature