Cryptic diversity in Hipposideros commersoni sensu stricto (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in the western portion of Madagascar.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Commerson's leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros commersoni sensu stricto, is endemic to Madagascar and is relatively common in the western portion of the island, where it is found in areas, including forested zones, from sea level to 1325 m. A previous study on morphological patterns of geographic variation within the species highlighted the presence of two distinct morphotypes; larger individuals in the north portion of the island and smaller individuals in the south. The main aim of this study was to use a combination of craniodental morphology and molecular data (mitochondrial and nuclear) to test previous hypotheses based on morphology and clarify the evolutionary history of the species group.

Methods

We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear genes from Hipposideros

SUBMITTER: Rakotoarivelo AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4628396 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature