Molecular systematics of the Sicista tianschanica species complex: a contribution from historical DNA analysis.

ABSTRACT: The Tianshan birch mouse Sicista tianschanica is an endemic of the Central Asian mountains and has previously been shown to include several karyomorphs ("Terskey", "Talgar", "Dzungar"); however, the taxonomic status of these forms has remained uncertain. We examined the genetic variation in S. tianschanica based on historical DNA samples from museum collections, including the type series. Mitochondrial and nuclear data indicated that the species complex includes two major clades: Northern (N) and Southern (S) (cytb distance 13%). The N clade corresponds to the "Dzungar" karyomorph (Dzungar Alatau, Tarbagatay). The S clade is comprised of four lineages (S1-S4) divergent at 6-8%; the relationships among which are resolved incompletely. The S1 lineage is found in eastern

SUBMITTER: Lebedev VS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7810041 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature