Historical biogeography, systematics, and integrative taxonomy of the non-Ethiopian speckled pelage brush-furred rats (Lophuromys flavopunctatus group).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The speckled-pelage brush-furred rats (Lophuromys flavopunctatus group) have been difficult to define given conflicting genetic, morphological, and distributional records that combine to obscure meaningful accounts of its taxonomic diversity and evolution. In this study, we inferred the systematics, phylogeography, and evolutionary history of the L. flavopunctatus group using maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic inference, divergence times, historical biogeographic reconstruction, and morphometric discriminant tests. We compiled comprehensive datasets of three loci (two mitochondrial [mtDNA] and one nuclear) and two morphometric datasets (linear and geometric) from across the known range of the genus Lophuromys.

Results

The mtDNA phylogeny supported the di

SUBMITTER: Onditi KO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8132446 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature